


Vanilla

by AshKnight



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Multi, Red Swan Queen - Freeform, RedSwanQueen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-05-21 02:18:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6034333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshKnight/pseuds/AshKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina and Ruby have been married for two years, and although they've gotten into a routine, they still do all the things together that they did before they'd tied the knot.  Still, their sex life is beginning to look a little bit vanilla.  When Regina's ex, Emma, arrives in town, they each develop a new relationship with her that shakes up their relationship with each other.  RedSwanQueen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Vanilla

Regina was happy with Ruby. They'd been married for two years, and although they'd gotten into a routine, they still did all the things together that they did before they'd tied the knot. They went on dates. They had meals together. They talked about the future. And – just like everyone told them they wouldn't – they still had sex. It wasn't bad sex, either. It was just… a little… vanilla.

Regardless of that, they were happy. At least, that was what Regina thought. Then again, she'd never really known happiness before. Something had always been missing. Even with Ruby, something wasn't quite… there. But what does happiness even mean, anyway? Being content with what you have, right? And she was. She was content. After all, Ruby took care of her. They took care of each other. They listened to each other. They refused to become complacent in each other's lives.

"Morning, babe," Ruby muttered with a sleepy smile as the sun came up, sliding her hand under her lover's pajama shirt.

For some reason, even though Regina was usually a morning person (and Ruby was not), she was having a hard time opening her eyes.

"Unnng," she groaned, reaching for a spare pillow and using it to cover her face and block out the sunlight.

"What's the matter, honey? You okay?"

"I don't want to go to work," the woman whined.

Complaining was unlike her, so Ruby quickly removed her hand from her wife's toned abdomen and sat up in bed.

"What's going on, baby? You love your job."

"I'm so tired of the same shit, Ruby," the mayor sighed, removing the pillow and staring straight up at the ceiling. "I'm  _bored_  with my job."

 _What else is she bored with?_ Ruby wondered, her stomach dropping as she considered the possibility that  _she_  was one of the other things the woman was getting bored with. They were happy, right? They ate together, went on dates, had sex… Ruby's mind flashed back to the previous night and the image of the two of them making love. It was so… uneventful. Sure, they both came, but-  _Wait,_ the waitress was thinking.  _She wasn't faking, was she? Oh, God…_

Instantly, the younger woman's mind went to the worst case scenario.  _She's bored with me. She faked it so it would end. She's just-_

"Ruby?" the older brunette asked, snapping her wife from her trance. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing, I… I'm sorry. I was asking you that, and I just… I zoned out. That was super awful. I'm sorry. I guess I'm still-"

"I just said I was fine, but that I probably need a vacation or something."

"Yeah, you could definitely use one," Ruby chuckled. "You work too hard. You should go to the Bahamas and just lay on the beach for a week or so. You never take days off."

"Why are you saying it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like I'd go alone."

"Oh… I don't know. I just meant… You don't have to do  _everything_ with me just because we're married, you know. You can still have your own life and do your own thing…"

"Ruby," Regina sighed, reaching out to touch the woman's cheek. "I'd never go to the Bahamas without you."

"Alright, then. Let's go," her lover joked with her signature playful grin.

Ruby had always been less uptight than Regina, and they both knew it. To be honest – and they were both  _always_ honest with each other – Regina was anal-retentive and needed absolutely  _everything_ to be perfect, including their home. If the couch had moved over once inch, it was to be fixed immediately. If there was a single spot on the rug, it was to be cleaned immediately. If dinner was finished, the dishes were to be done immediately. In the morning, the bed was to be made immediately. Everything was immediate, and everything was precisely the way that she wanted it. This had been the hardest adjustment for Ruby to handle. Her lifestyle was… different.  _But hey_ , she told herself.  _That's marriage._

In fact, Ruby had so gotten used to the idea that the cleaning and tidying was automatic. She no longer dropped her clothes on the floor at night after she'd removed them, like she had when they first started dating. They went straight into the dirty clothes hamper. She no longer left her coffee mug half-finished on the counter without rinsing it. She no longer left the cap off the toothpaste (except a few times when she forgot). And she no longer made jokes about just how much of a perfectionist her lover was. It was no longer funny. It was their reality.

But Ruby couldn't really complain. She had her own baggage, and Regina had put up with it for three years now. There was no way she was about to forget that. She wouldn't take it for granted. She remembered it every time she felt too lazy to do the laundry, or too unmotivated to mop the kitchen floor. She had a dark side that Regina had accepted and loved, and that was enough for Ruby to adjust and make compromises.

Their whole relationship was like that. It was give and take, even though anyone who looked at their relationship from the outside would have said that Regina was in complete control. Ruby knew better. She knew all the things that her wife had sacrificed to be with her. All the exceptions she had made. All the care she had put into their relationship. All the ways she had helped Ruby heal from the wounds of her past. But that was reciprocated, too. At least for the most part. A lot of Regina's past was stuck there, unshared and never discussed, but the pieces of her history that were brought to the table were accepted and loved in the same way that the woman accepted and loved her past and her flaws.

Their relationship may not have been exciting, but it was healthy, which was more than either could say about their past experiences.

After they'd both silently thought about these factors for a while, the mayor sighed, "I can't. I have responsibilities. The town needs me. I couldn't possibly-"

"Regina. You need a break."

"I know."

"Then take one."

"I've got to get to work," Regina gasped, looking over at the clock and seeing that she had less than twenty minutes to get ready. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, the woman stood and hurried into the bathroom, where she proceeded to follow her morning ritual to prepare herself for the day (except that she was in a rush). If there was anything the mayor hated, it was being late. Ruby stayed in bed, slightly in a daze, and began to fall back asleep to the sound of the running water from the shower. Eventually, she did begin to dream again, but this time, instead of normal, random dreams, they were nightmares about her wife. She was woken from them by a quick peck on the lips before her lover ran down the hallway, hurried down the steps, and bolted out the door.

For a while, the day went on as usual. Paperwork, meetings, paperwork, coffee, paperwork. Then, towards the end of the day, an unexpected knock on her door stirred her from her study of the town's financial records for the past month.

"Come in," she projected, sitting up straight and pushing her mug of coffee away as she set her pen down parallel to her folder of paperwork. When the gentleman opened the door – tall and handsome – he looked nervous, so she greeted him, "Hello, Sheriff Humbert."

"Please, Madam Mayor, call me Graham."

"Alright… Graham… Please, have a seat." When he did sit down in the chair across from her desk, she waited for him to speak, and when he said nothing, she encouraged him by saying, "What is it that brings you here unannounced, Sheriff?"

"Oh, I… I apologize, Madam Mayor. I, um… Well, as we discussed, we've been looking for a new sheriff, since I plan to leave at the end of the month, and…"

"Yes? Go on."

"I believe we've found person we'd like to hire, and I know it has to be approved by you before that officially happens, so I wanted to discuss her application with you."

"Oh. I see. It's a woman... That's interesting."

"Is that… not… preferable?"

"No, no. It's perfectly fine. I'm simply surprised that you would have chosen a female for the position. In any case, though it is customary practice for the mayor to approve the new sheriff, I trust your judgement and will sign the paperwork for you now, if you've brought it."

"Oh, I, um… I did, but I… I thought you might want to speak to her yourself before you-"

"Have you not spoken with her?"

"No, I have! I… We had a lengthy interview, during which she displayed numerous positive qualities that I believe are well suited for the job. I think she will make an even better replacement than I was."

"Hmm. Is that so? Well, in that case, give me the paperwork, and I will sign it. As I said previously, I trust your judgement. I also have no time for an unnecessary interview."

"Of course, Madam Mayor. I apologize."

With that, he handed over the woman's application. Regina took it without so much as glancing at the name at the top and signed the last page before handing it back to him.

"I would like a copy of that when you are finished with it, please."

"Of course, Madam Mayor. Thank you for your time."

He took the paperwork and left in silence.

Back at the house that night, Regina burst through the front door with a huff, dropping her briefcase down on the floor. The sound startled her wife, who was currently engrossed in a fitful sleep on the couch.

"Jesus, Regina!" Ruby called out. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry," the woman mumbled, leaning against the wall with a heavy sigh.

When her wife saw this, she quickly rose from her seat and walked over to her lover, asking, "What's the matter, babe? Did something happen?"

"No. Just a long day. They've all been long, lately. Anyway, how was your day, sweetheart?"

"My day was fine, but Regina… I'm worried about you. I've never seen you like this."

"I'm okay. Just tired."

"I… Are you hungry?"

"Not really, no. Are you?"

"Well, yes. I was wondering if you'd like me to cook tonight."

"But it's my turn."

"I know, babe, but you've had a long day, and I want you to relax."

Regina bit her lip and looked around. Not a single piece of clutter anywhere in view. This, at least, was somewhat calming. In her own home, she had some control.

Looking guilty, she finally replied, "Actually, that would be lovely."

"Great!" Ruby said with an enthusiastic smile. "Why don't you join me in the kitchen for a minute, babe?"

With a tilt of her head, the older brunette followed the woman into their kitchen. On the table was a large vase of two dozen white roses, all fully in bloom.

"Oh, Ruby," Regina sighed. "You shouldn't have."

"I love you, Mrs. Mills," her lover whispered back, walking around her and wrapping her arms around the woman from behind. "And I wanted to. You deserve flowers when you're feeling down."

A warm wave of affection washed over them both as Regina turned around in Ruby's arms and looked up into her eyes.

"I love you too, Ruby," she replied softly, then pressed their lips together.

The kiss was slow but chaste, lacking passion. Still, they both felt their hearts race. When they pulled away, though, something in Ruby's eyes betrayed her sadness and confusion. Before Regina could ask her what was the matter, she'd turned around and begun to prepare the food. With a sigh, Regina left the room and curled up on the couch, where she rested her head on a small pillow and began to fall asleep.

When dinner was ready and Regina joined her wife at the dining room table, they ate slowly and quietly, saying very little, until after a while, the mayor noticed the woman staring at her.

"What?" Regina asked cautiously.

"Nothing," Ruby mumbled back, taking a large gulp of her wine.

Feeling just as frustrated in her own way, Regina also took her share of the beverage. After a few more glasses than either of them had intended, they found themselves on the living room couch with their lips connected. Their dirty dishes were still in the sink, rinsed but unwashed. That could only mean one thing. Regina was too drunk to clean. (And that was saying something.)

Ruby was clearly drunk too as her hands fumbled over her lover's chest, searching desperately for contact and some kind of a reaction from the mayor. At first, they were both unsure of themselves, suddenly feeling awkward around each other after the new thoughts that had plagued their day. After another half a glass, though, heavy petting turned into something more as Ruby pinned the woman down on the couch and pushed herself between her legs. As she ground their hips together, the mayor moaned softly and lifted her own hips to increase the friction between them.

After a few more movements, Ruby drunkenly husked, "I want you to take me upstairs."

Regina said nothing. She just pushed the woman away, slid off the couch, grabbed her hand, and stumbled all the way to their bedroom.

After undressing themselves and tossing their dirty clothes to the floor, rather than the laundry hamper, they moved to the bed, where Ruby once against positioned herself between Regina's legs. This time, she did not grant the friction that Regina's core so desperately desired. Instead, she slid her hands over Regina's thighs and chest, pausing to twist the woman's nipples into firm peaks. Their mouths found each other and began a slow, tender kiss as Ruby's hands continued to wander. Usually, after a few minutes of this kind of foreplay, Regina was more than ready to go further. That night, though, to Ruby's dismay, her lover was far from wet.

"I'm… I'm s-sorry," Regina slurred, her head spinning as she felt the warmth of her lover's fingers at her entrance. "I… I'm not… I c-can't…"

Hearing this reluctance, Ruby quickly pulled away, her stomach sinking.

"It's fine," she said firmly, then rolled over and leaned back against the pillows as she stared blankly at the ceiling, her vision blurry.

Had she looked, she would have seen the tears slipping from her lover's eyes and onto her cheeks, but instead, her gaze remained in place, and Regina was left to cry herself silently to sleep.

In the morning, Ruby woke with a start, shooting up in bed with a gasp that woke her wife immediately.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Regina blurted, looking around the room for whatever horrible thing it was that had frightened her lover so much.

"I had… horrible dreams…" the green-eyed brunette replied, keeping her gaze firmly on the window and away from Regina.

"What happened?"

"You left me."

"Ruby…"

"Don't."

"Ruby, I'm not going to leave you..."

Suddenly, the woman blurted, "Do you even enjoy having sex with me anymore?"

"What the hell, Ruby! Why would you ask me that?"

"Because I want to know!"

"Ruby!"

"What?"

"I don't understand why you're-"

"Do you remember last night at all?"

"Um… No… Not really… I mean, I had way too much to drink, and I-"

"I tried to make love to you and couldn't even get you wet."

"I was drunk!"

"I don't think that has anything to do with it."

"Ruby, come on. I was-"

"I tried everything that usually works. I mean… Your thighs, your nipples, your lips…"

"Ruby, I was  _incredibly_ drunk _._ I never should have had all that wine. It was a stupid decision, and I regret it. I don't even  _remember_ last night. Of course I was too drunk to have sex."

"I think maybe you were just too drunk to fake it."

"I DON'T FAKE IT!" Regina screamed, tearing the covers off and jumping out of the bed. "Why the hell would you ever say that?"

"Because you're bored! You said so yourself!"

"I said I was bored with my  _job,_ Ruby! Not you!"

"Maybe we should-"

"No. Don't you dare say that. Don't you fucking dare. I'm your  _wife._ You can't just-"

"I was  _going_ to say," Ruby snapped, "that maybe we should try it again now, then."

Regina stared in disbelief. How were they supposed to turn a spat like that into sex?

When she didn't say anything, her wife said, "Come back to bed. Let me try again."

Reluctantly, the mayor did exactly that. When she was finally lying beside her lover, leaned back against the pillows, Ruby quickly made her move and positioned herself between the woman's legs.

"I just wanna make you come," the green-eyed beauty whispered in her lover's ear, then kissed her cheek.

Regina blushed at this and felt her muscles tense. Ruby felt it too, along with a heavy wave of relief. She rubbed her thumb over the woman's clit a few times, until she felt her folds become slick. As soon as the wetness coated the tips of her fingers, an involuntarily sigh escaped her lips.

"Oh, babe…" she whispered. "That's perfect."

"Don't stop," Regina breathed. "Make me come."

By the time they were both finished, Ruby was panting breathy 'I love you's into her spouse's ear.

"I know. I know," her wife said slowly as she stroked the woman's hair. "I love you too."

The next morning, Regina was no more excited to go to work than she was the day before. In fact, the feeling of dread had grown, to the point where she actually considered calling out sick and canceling her meetings. Of course, she  _didn't_ do that, but it certainly crossed her mind. Instead, she got dressed, like a responsible adult, and made her way to work, after kissing her wife goodbye.

On her lunch break, however, she burst through the front doors of Granny's Diner – her wife's current place of employment – and nearly ran to the counter. As soon as Ruby saw the sweat dripping from Regina's brow, her heart stopped.

"Babe, what's the matter?" she asked hurriedly.

"We need to talk. Right now."

"Honey, I can't, I-" but when the look of horror on her lover's face registered, she changed her mind. "Alright. I'll take my break. Meet me out back."

Behind the establishment, Regina waited anxiously for her wife to appear out of the back entrance.

When she finally did, a few minutes later, the waitress muttered, "Sorry. Granny made me take a few more orders. What's going on, baby?"

"There's a new sheriff."

"Um… Okay. Didn't we kind of know that was going to happen…?"

"She's my ex."

"She… What?"

"She's my ex."

"Oh, shit, babe," Ruby breathed. "That's… That's rough."

"Rough is right."

"What are you gonna do?"

"What the hell do you mean, 'What am I going to do?' I'm going to remain professional and uphold my propriety, of course!"

"Hun… You can always overrule Graham. Didn't you say you just signed the paperwork without even reviewing the application?"

"I did, and it's too late now."

"Okay… So, um… What's her name?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm sure I'll meet her eventually anyway. I might as well know her name, since you've never talked about an ex in your life, other than to say you've only had two, and that you've never slept with either of them."

"Ruby!"

"What? You share some of your past with me, but the rest of it…"

"I don't have time for this."

"Then why are you here? I mean, I know you're upset, and I'm sorry, but what can I do to help?"

"You know what, Ruby? Nothing. Just wish me luck. I have a meeting with her in an hour."

Before her wife could speak, she was gone.

Back at her office, Regina sat at her desk, palms sweating as she anxiously clicked her pen. By the time the expected knock at the door finally came, and she called out, "Come in," her hands were shaking.

"Welcome to Storybrooke, Miss Swan."

The blonde stared at her with dark green eyes, her gaze piercing the woman's entirely. Regina had always had a thing about green eyes. When the mayor's thoughts shot back to her wife, her stomach dropped.  _Ruby._ Even before the woman could speak, Regina was blushing.

"Miss Swan, huh?" the blonde drawled. When Regina said nothing – her mouth was too dry to speak – the woman added, "Why do you look so surprised to see me? I mean, I knew it was a long shot, applying for the job, when I found out you were mayor here, but I thought you had to approve all appointments as sheriff."

"I do."

"Didn't you see my application, then?"

"No."

"You're telling me you signed your approval without even looking at the name?"

"I trust my current sheriff completely, and you made quite the impression on him."

"You wouldn't have hired me, then. If you'd seen my name, I mean."

"No… No I wouldn't have."

"And you regret signing your name?"

"I'm not here to play games with you, Miss Swan, or wallow in regrets. You're meant to be here on business. Why you chose to apply for a position in a town run by me is beyond my understanding, but I assure you, I will put my curiosity aside and get down to work. If you think you can distract me from-"

"Excuse me? Distract you?"

"You're bringing up frivolous things that have no implication on our business partnership, and I'll hear nothing else about it."

"Still completely emotionless, hmm?"

Though Regina should have been offended, that wasn't what she was feeling. It was something else. Something deeper.

"Perhaps we should adjourn our meeting for today, since you seem to be unable to put the past behind you."

"Judging by the way you're looking at me, so are you."

"Excuse me?"

"Let's call it a day, alright? I'm going to go get acquainted with my office while you figure out how the fuck you're going to deal with this."

"I beg your pardon, but I-"

"See you tomorrow, Regina. Same time. Try to take a Xanax first, yeah?"

Regina's jaw dropped from disbelief as the new sheriff turned and left her office.

When she arrived home that night, Ruby was waiting for her. In fact, she was sitting stiffly in the middle of the couch when Regina opened the door.

"Hey," the dark-eyed brunette said slowly, her voice wavering.

"Babe, I'm really sorry about today. I didn't mean to be such a dick. I-"

"It's fine."

"How did the meeting go? Is she… Was she…"

"Her name is Emma. Emma Swan. And it was horrible."

As they got into bed after a meal that Regina hardly ate, Ruby curled up behind her wife and wrapped her arms around her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly, stroking her lover's hair.

"No."

"Babe…"

"I said no."

When Ruby sighed heavily, though, Regina could tell what was about to come next, and it happened exactly as she'd expected it to.

"Regina," Ruby said sharply. "What did she do to you?"

"She left me for a guy, because I was too closed off and un-emotional. After Daniel died, I didn't know how to open up to anyone. I just couldn't. I… I did love her… but I couldn't tell her, and that's why she gave up on me. I wouldn't say it, even though it was true. I didn't want to."

"Do you… Do you regret it now?"

"Of course not!" Regina snapped. "I love you, and-"

"Say it again."

"Say what again?"

"Say you love me."

"I love you, Ruby. I was scared when I first said it. I'm sure you remember the terrified look on my face. But it's true, and it'll always be true."

"But you loved her too…"

"Ruby. That's over now."

"But she's back. What if-"

"Ruby. No."

"Regina, listen… Sometimes-"

"Can you just shut up and hold me?" the mayor sighed, causing her lover to blush with embarrassment.

Ruby knew she'd pushed too hard. That Regina was closing up. But at least she'd given her that much. It was a big step. It was something.

"I love you," she whispered in the woman's ear as she tightened her grip. "I'll always love you."

Again, Ruby couldn't see it, but her lover fell asleep crying silently.

The next day, Regina spent the entire morning in a panicked sweat as she waited for the attractive blonde to walk through the doors of her office. She ate nothing. She drank nothing. She got none of the day's paperwork done. She simply sat and worried herself nearly into a panic attack, until at last, the loud, confident knock on her door resounded through the room.

"Come in," Regina said, her voice shaking.

The woman's hips swayed slightly as she sauntered into the room, her boots making loud, echoing steps while she entered. Regina stared.

"We need to talk about the budget," the blonde said matter-of-factly, sitting down in the chair across from her former lover.

Surprised at the straightforwardness of this comment, the mayor answered, "I agree."

"We're spending too much on precinct repairs and not enough on actual patrolling. We need another deputy."

"I agree with that also."

"What?"

"I said, 'I agree with that also.'"

"I heard you, but-"

"Are you surprised to find me in agreement to this, Miss Swan?"

"Well, yeah, sort of. You're usually in opposition to anything I suggest."

"What your referring to is quite in the past, I can assure you, and my past is not something I allow to affect my future."

The new sheriff stared at her for several seconds before speaking again, her eyes raking over as much of Regina's body as she could see above the desk.

"So, what do we do, then?" she finally asked, setting a pile of paperwork in front of the mayor as she tore her gaze away from the mayor's toned figure.

"We cut spending on repairs and hire a deputy, of course."

"And how does hiring a deputy work?"

"Well, technically, that's your job."

"Oh… Is it?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. How should I… Should I just…"

"Not so confident about your abilities as sheriff, Miss Swan?"

"You really can be a bitch, Regina. Did you take that Xanax?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Yesterday. I told you to take a Xanax before our meeting. Did you?"

"Of course not!"

Suddenly, she wished she had.

"You probably should have. Anyway, I'll figure it out. Thanks for your help. Is that all you wanted?"

"I… Well…"

"Yeah?"

"Yes. That is all. Thank you for your time, Miss Swan. I trust that when you select your Deputy, you will inform me of your decision."

"Sure. Got it. I'll see you around," Emma replied, rising from her seat. "Try to pull that stick out of your ass just a little bit in the meantime, yeah?"

"You are unbelievably rude."

"And you are unbelievably anal-retentive. You should try to relax sometime."

"Harboring some bitterness, are we?"

"Excuse me. I have work to do."

A wave of relief crashed over the mayor as the woman left the room, and as soon as the blonde was gone, Regina dug through her desk drawers for the bottle of Xanax.

"How'd it go, babe?" her wife asked her later that night. "Did you meet with her?"

"Yes, I did."

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"I asked you how it went."

"How do you think it went? I was stuck in a room with my ex lover, who was as rude as ever and entirely overly confident."

"Hmm… That's interesting…"

Regina's eyes went wide as she asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Doesn't seem like your type."

"Well… When I met her, I didn't have a type. I was quite young."

"How young?"

"Well, Daniel died when I was sixteen. I met her the following year."

"Wow. Seventeen. How long were you together?"

"Too long," the mayor sighed, sitting down in the recliner and holding her face in her hands.

The memories that were being stirred from the dust of her mind were both painful and embarrassing, so her face immediately grew warm as the thoughts began to pour in.

"Regina…" Ruby said slowly as she stepped closer to her lover. After kneeling down in front of her and putting her hand on her knee, she added, "It's alright, babe. It's in the past. I know it hurts, but that's not your life anymore."

"She has a right to hate me."

"What are you talking about?"

"She tried to give me everything, and I gave her nothing in return."

"You were seventeen, and you were still hurting from a deep, painful loss. She can't seriously have expected you to-"

"She wanted to have sex with me. I said no."

"Babe, you were seventeen. That's probably for the best."

"Were you having sex at seventeen?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"See?"

"No. What are you trying to say?"

"Sex is a normal part of a relationship where two people love each other."

"That's true, but-"

"She was committed to me, and I pushed her away."

"You're starting to sound like you do regret it…"

"No!" Regina cried quickly, standing up. "That's not what I meant! I feel like a terrible person for not giving her what she needed, and it makes me understand why she's acting the way that she is now."

"And how is she acting?"

"She called me anal-retentive, told me to take a Xanax, and advised me to pull the stick out of my ass."

"Holy shit," Ruby gasped. "She sounds like a firecracker."

"She really is," the dark-haired beauty chuckled. "She's always had a mouth on her, for sure. She just… never used it against me, until she broke up with me…"

"Listen, if she's rude to you…"

"Ruby, no. Like I said, she has a right to be angry. I'm sure she'll calm down once she gets used to being around me again. Besides, she had someone else lined up right after me. I don't think she was that torn up about the break up."

This left Ruby in a stunned sort of silence, unsure of what to say. Regina simply sat back down and stared at the floor.

Later that night, once the two slipped under the covers, Ruby rolled onto her side and slid her hand beneath Regina's pajama shirt. It was her signature 'Do you want to?' move, and Regina knew exactly what it meant. Usually, she'd concede, even if she wasn't really in the mood. It was part of a healthy relationship, right? She wanted to keep her lover happy. That night, though, she simply couldn't muster the strength.

"Babe, I…" she tried, but the rest of the words remained stuck inside.

"It's fine," Ruby sighed softly, kissing the woman's cheek before removing her hand from her abdomen.

Instead, she draped it over her stomach outside of her shirt and held her wife the rest of the night, without attempting to make another move towards intimacy.

The next morning, over breakfast, Regina seemed just as troubled as the night before. She didn't hide her emotions well, and it was easy for Ruby to pick up on.

"Honey… Are you alright?" she asked gently, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"She's hiring a new deputy."

"Is that… Is that bad?"

"No. It's exactly what I wanted, actually. And she came up with the idea on her own after looking at the budget reports from last year."

"Oh. Okay…"

"I think you should apply for it."

"I'm sorry…  _What?_ " the waitress gasped, her green eyes wide with surprise.

"You always said you wanted to get out of the diner, but that you'd just never found anything you'd like better. Now's your chance to try something new."

"Are you kidding me? Do you know how much trouble I got into as a kid?"

"Ruby, you're over eighteen now. That's all off your record."

"Why are you suggesting this? I don't get it. Don't you-"

"I think you deserve a chance to really shine, Ruby. I think your talents would serve you well in that kind of a position, and I think they would serve Storybrooke well, too."

"Regina… I…"

"Think about it?"

"I'll think about it."

Three days later, after Regina had heard nothing else about the appointment of the new deputy, her wife greeted her at the door with a particularly nervous smile.

"Hey, babe…"

"What? What happened?" Regina asked cautiously, knowing that that particular smile, coming from her wife, meant something was up.

"I, uh… I sort of… met… the sheriff today…"

"You what?"

"I, uh… I heard Leroy was going to apply for the deputy position, but hat no one else had put in for it. I panicked at the thought of that ridiculous clown in a position of power and decided to go talk to Sheriff Swan…" When her lover said nothing in response to this but simply stood there in the doorway looking horrified, Ruby added – rather unwisely – "She's fucking  _hot_ , Regina."

"Jesus, Ruby!" Regina shouted. "Like that's what I needed to hear right now!"

"I'm just saying! I can see why you fell for her. She's a total babe."

"That is  _not_ why I 'fell' for her, if you insist on calling it that. She was polite, and kind, and intelligent. Her physical appearance was merely a trifle. Now that it seems those first two qualities have disappeared, her appearance is even less of a noticeable trait."

"I don't know how you could possibly not notice that."

"Ruby!"

"I'm just saying!"

"Stop saying that you're 'just saying!' Good Lord. You're going to drive me insane!"

" _Anyway…_  I didn't tell her that I was your wife."

"WHAT?!"

"I mean, I didn't tell her I was your wife until she told me she would happily review my application and that I seemed like a strong candidate."

"Jesus Christ, Ruby! What did she say?"

"She laughed."

"What?"

"Regina, she laughed. She thought it was funny."

"That  _what_ was funny?" the mayor asked anxiously, dropping her keys on the table next to the entrance and finally stepping inside the house.

"That I had the balls to ask your ex for a job."

Regina stared in disbelief, attempting to soak up what her love was trying to tell her.

Finally, she asked, "So what happened?"

"She said, pending your approval, she would be willing to hire me."

"What?  _My_  approval? But she doesn't need-"

"Maybe she doesn't want to offend you."

"Oh, I don't think that's it. Emma Swan seems to have no problem offending me at this point."

But just then, the mayor's phone rang. She looked down quickly and saw "Stroybrooke PD" on the caller ID, which caused her to hesitate before answering the call.

"Mayor Mills speaking."

"Hey, Regina. I'm sure you already know, but I just wanted to inform you that I met your wife today, and that she told me she was interested in the position. She seems quite qualified, and she knows the people here very well, which I think would be a real asset to the department. I've had a few people apply for the position, but her application was by far the strongest. Would you feel comfortable with her being the new deputy?"

The mayor's mouth fell open as she stared at her lover, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"I… Um…"

"Regina? You okay?"

"Of course. I, uh… I simply…" Regina started, frantically trying to come up with a witty response. Finally, she settled on, "I simply can't figure out where in the world you suddenly acquired these manners from."

"As you'll recall, when you met me, I had plenty of manners and propriety."

"They certainly seemed to have disappeared when we spoke earlier."

"I apologize. You were standoffish, and I reacted badly. I allowed my feelings about the past to get in the way of my professionalism, and that was a horrible thing for me to do. I appreciate the opportunity you've given me as sheriff of this town, and I would really also appreciate your approval of the appointment of your wife as our new deputy."

Completely shocked by these statements, the mayor once again went silent.

"Uh… Regina?" Emma pressed.

"Yes, I apologize. I was… Certainly. Certainly, I approve it. Though you did not need to ask my permission. I entrusted you with this responsibility not only because it is your job, but because I knew that you would make a well-thought out, careful decision."

"Thanks, Regina. Can you let Ruby know I'll see her in two weeks when she starts?"

"Two weeks?"

"Well, yeah. I wanted her to be able to give Granny a fair warning before she left."

"Oh… Oh! Well, that's… That's quite considerate of you."

"In the meantime, I'll do some more work with the budget and try to finish up the repairs around the precinct. Actually, I think most of the things we've been paying carpenters for I can do myself."

"You've always been handy, Miss Swan."

"I am good with my hands, aren't I?" the sheriff boldly teased, leaving an awkward, heavy silence hanging between them.

"I, um… I must bid you goodnight, Miss Swan. I will see you on Monday to review your revised draft of the budget."

"Yeah… Okay. Goodnight, Regina."

As the brunette hung up the phone and looked up from the screen, her wife met her gaze.

"What did she say to you?"

"Pardon?"

"What did she say to you, at the end, to make you go silent like that? You're never speechless. You're acting weird."

"I… She made an inappropriate joke about her personal abilities."

"Oh. I see."

"Not exactly offensive, but certainly uncalled for. It just shows her immaturity, I suppose."

"You just said you trusted her."

"No, I did not. I said that I entrusted her with the particular task of hiring a new deputy. I never said I trusted  _her._ The only person I trust in this world is you."

"Babe," Ruby sighed, stepping forward and draping her arms around her lover's neck.

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For what happened between you two. I can tell it still hurts, and I wish I could take that away."

"All you can do is be there for me, darling, and you're doing that perfectly."

This brought a gentle smile to Ruby's lips as she leaned in and placed a kiss on her wife's. Regina didn't pull away. Instead, she threaded her fingers through the woman's hair and tightened the embrace.

The following Monday, Regina was left to sit anxiously in her office, once again waiting for the knock of her former lover. When it came, she let out a sigh of relief. At least she could get it over with now, and there was no more waiting.  _Quick like pulling off a Band-Aid,_  she told herself.  _Just focus on the reports for a bit, and then she'll be gone._

"Hey," Emma greeted her, sauntering in with a wave of casual confidence and poise.

"Hello, Miss Swan."

"How are you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I asked, 'How are you?' It's customary to occasionally ask the people around you how they're doing."

"Oh… I'm quite fine, thank you."

"Quite fine?"

"Quite well," the mayor corrected herself, her cheeks beginning to turn a light shade of pink. "And… And yourself?"

"I'm well. Enjoying the job, honestly. I've had a few distress calls that I've been able to successfully respond to."

"That's excellent, Miss Swan. I'm pleased to hear that the position is suiting you."

After a short pause, the sheriff said, "Your wife is stunning."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Your wife. She's quite stunning."

 _What the hell do I say to that?_ Regina was thinking, completely horrified by the comment.  _Well… She's right, but is she complimenting me or threatening me? Probably neither. She's just talking._

"Yes, she is."

"She'll make a fine deputy."

"Because she's stunning?"

"No! No, I didn't mean it like that. Because she's good with people, she's polite, and she's funny. She's also clearly a very hard worker."

"Those things are all quite true," the mayor conceded. "I'm in agreement."

"Anyway… Expense reports and budgeting. That's what I came here to discuss. My apologies. I got a bit side-tracked there."

"Yes. Expense reports."

The rest of their meeting was all business, until the very end of their conversation, when Emma collected her paperwork and stood up to leave.

"I hope you and your wife have a nice evening," she said slowly, but her eyes subconsciously moved up and down Regina's figure as she spoke.

Before Regina had time to react or respond, the blonde was gone, and the door was shut tightly behind her.

A week or so later, it was finally time for Ruby's first day on the job.

"Good morning, Sheriff," she said cheerfully as she stepped through the doors of the precinct.

"Well, don't you look lovely," Emma offered smoothly, flashing the woman a charming smile. "Can't wait to see what you look like in our oh-so-attractive uniform."

"Yeah, me either," Ruby chuckled in response. "I'm sure it'll be something to see."

"And does your wife enjoy women in uniform?"

The brunette blinked a few times before answering, "Actually, I don't know. I guess we'll find out tonight."

"Hmm. I suppose you will. In any case, I've got some paperwork for you to sign, and your uniform is over there on your desk."

Ruby looked over to her desk, which was completely empty, except for a pencil, a few pieces of paper, and her uniform, and smiled. It was certainly a step up from Granny's Diner. In all the years she'd worked there, she'd wondered about other occupations, but had never seriously considered pursuing them. Now that she was about to begin a whole new field of work, she felt her excitement bubbling over. After signing the paperwork, she went into the bathroom and changed into the uniform, then reappeared beside the sheriff's desk.

"What do you think?" the new deputy asked shyly.

"Looks good, Rookie. Real good."

Ruby blushed and turned away, not having expected the flirtatious tone in the woman's voice. No other flattering comments were made for the rest of her shift.

By the time she got home, she was more than tired of the paperwork, which was all she'd had the chance to do during her first day.

"How was it?" Regina asked anxiously, as soon as she opened the door.

"She's quite charming," Ruby said matter-of-factly as she stepped past her wife and into the foyer.

"I meant your first day at work, Ruby," the mayor shot back sternly, scowling in her direction.

"Do you like the uniform?"

"Ruby, I asked how your-"

"Do you like it?"

Regina paused and gave her wife the once-over, involuntarily licking her lips as her eyes followed the length of the black tie from her lover's neck all the way down past her breasts and to her belt.

"Very much."

"Good," the green-eyed deputy husked, stepping boldly closer as she slipped her arms around the mayor's neck. "Want to take it off of me?"

Their conversation, of course, ended in sex, rather than an actual discussion about Ruby's day.


	2. Wounds Become Confessions

Over the next few weeks, Ruby learned the ropes of the job, until she was comfortable going on patrol on her own. No major events (but some minor ones) occurred, as things we usually quite peaceful in Storybrooke. It wasn't exactly the most exciting town in Maine. (Then again, what towns in Maine are exciting?) It was only one evening three weeks later that her skills were finally put to the test. When her phone rang and she saw that it was the sheriff calling, she didn't panic.

It was normal for her boss to check in now and then, so she answered the call casually, saying, "Deputy Lucas speaking."

"Ruby, there's been sightings of a bear behind the apartments just south of Downtown. Reports say it seems hostile. I need you to pick up the shotgun from the precinct and meet me there. I'm already on the way."

"Wait, what? A bear?"

"We're in Maine, Ruby! Yes, a goddam bear! Would you hurry up already, before a civilian gets hurt?"

"Yes, ma'am! My apologies!"

"Just go, Ruby! Go!"

Ten minutes later, she was on the scene, clutching the loaded shotgun to her chest as she stepped out of the police cruiser. Emma greeted her anxiously at the door of the first apartment and urged her inside. Once they stepped out onto the back balcony of the second floor, Ruby saw the poor creature aggressively attacking everything in sight in the back yard: tables, chairs, bird feeders… everything. It growled loudly with every swat of its large paws.

"The nearest relocation team is three hours away," Emma told her attentive deputy. "We don't have time to wait that long. We have to take him down before someone gets hurt."

"I… I can't make the shot from here."

"I can. Give me the gun."

So Ruby handed it over, shaking as she released the weapon into the sheriff's care. Unfortunately for Emma, her confidence outweighed her talent (or her luck), and her shot landed right in the bear's left arm, causing it to roar in agony.

"Shit!" the sheriff screamed as the bear angrily charged the building. "FUCK!"

"I… Let me try."

Too furious and panicked to decline the request, Emma shoved the shotgun back into Ruby's hands and watched for her deputy's next move. The blonde stared as the woman ran back into the house. Next, she watched in horror as Ruby appeared outside below the balcony, just meters from the enormous bear. She was silent. It only took the sheriff a moment to realize what was happening, and as soon as she did, she ran back inside and down the stairs towards her deputy.

Before Emma could grab the woman and tug her back to safety inside the building, two shots rang out. The first exploded into Ruby's left arm, and the second into the bear's chest as it charged the two women in uniform. As the bear and the deputy collapsed in unison, Emma looked up frantically for the source of the gunshots. A few balconies down, Leroy was standing shirtless with his own rifle at his side, looking shocked.

"LEROY, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" Emma screamed. "YOU SHOT MY FUCKING DEPUTY!" But before she turned her attention to him, her gaze shot back to the woman who had fallen into her arms. "Ruby? Fuck… Ruby, can you hear me?"

The brunette's eyes were shut, and she was unresponsive. Blood soaked her uniform, covering in her in bright red life as color drained from her cheeks.

"CALL A FUCKING AMBULANCE, YOU MORON!" Emma screamed. "DO IT NOW!"

After Leroy hurried back inside and did as he was told, it only took the ambulance three minutes to arrive. As she followed the vehicle on the way to the hospital, Emma dialed the mayor's number.

"Regina, you need to get to the hospital  _NOW._ Ruby was shot in the arm by Leroy while taking down a hostile bear. I don't know how bad the injuries are."

At the hospital, Emma rushed inside to meet the paramedics as they brought her deputy inside.

"Ruby!" she shouted, hurrying to her side. "I'm right here, okay? Regina's on the way. You're gonna be fine."

The woman's eyes fluttered open at the sound of her wife's name as she stared at Emma.

"You were so brave, Ruby," the sheriff told her quickly. "I'm so, so fucking sorry. This never should have happened. I'm definitely going to make sure that Leroy-"

"It was an accident," the brunette mumbled, trying to sit up on the gurney as the doctors started to wheel her away from her superior. "No biggie."

Just as the paramedics were pushing Emma out of the way, Ruby forced a crooked smile and fell back against the pillow.

When Regina burst into the waiting room a few minutes later, the sheriff jumped to her feet.

"Regina!" Emma cried. "Fuck, I'm so sorry. I-"

"How could you let this happen?!" the mayor screamed. "I trusted you to keep her safe!"

"Leroy made the shot, not me!"

"You were supposed to protect her!"

"I tried! She just went running after the thing, balls to the wall, completely without hesitation! She was about to take it down when Leroy fired two shots. One hit her in the arm, and the other hit the bear in the chest and took him down."

"Fuck you, Emma. If you think you can put my wife in danger and-"

"I didn't force her to take this job! She wanted something other than a boring life of waiting tables!"

"What the fuck would you know about what  _my_ wife wants?!"

"She fucking  _told_ me, Regina! Does she even talk to you? Do you even bother to listen? She was fucking  _bored_ waiting tables every day!"

 _Bored._ The word drilled a hole through Regina's skull and resounded in her brain.  _Bored._ It was an all-too-familiar term that made her stomach turn.  _Why didn't she tell me? Is she bored with me too?_

Before Emma could say anything else or taunt her further, Regina snapped, "Where the fuck is my wife?"

"She's in surgery," the blonde sighed. "The doctor's said they'd come out when she was stable."

"I'll never forgive you for this."

"You don't have to. It wasn't my fucking fault!"

"It was. She was under your leadership, and you allowed her to be put in harm's way!"

"You think this job comes without risks? You think she didn't know what they were? She was  _brave,_ Regina. Unlike you've ever been in your fucking life."

The brunette's jaw dropped in disbelief as she stared at the young sheriff with whom she shared such a painful, heated history. There were plenty of other things she could say in response, but none of them passed her lips. Instead, she simply fell into the nearest seat and held her head in her hands until the doctor appeared in the waiting room to invite them to see the patient.

"Ruby," Regina breathed, upon seeing her wife bandaged but bloodied on the gurney. "Baby, I'm so glad you're okay. Are… Is…"

"She'll be fine," the doctor cut in. "She's very lucky."

"Oh, thank God," Emma breathed, stepping past Regina and closer to the bed as she put her hand on the woman's uninjured shoulder. "You're a tough one, kid. I'll give you that. Dunno how you managed to give me that much of a heart attack, but you sure did."

"Back off," Regina hissed, pushing Emma aside and stepping up closer to her lover. "Babe, I don't want you doing this anymore. I never should have told you to apply. The risks are too-"

"No! I'm not going to bail on this job just because there are risks, Regina! I'm-"

"You're done, Ruby. That's it. I don't give a shit if you work or not, but you're  _not_ working for her."

"Emma did her best to protect me. She was about to drag me back into the apartment when Leroy fired. She didn't even know he was there. I didn't know either. I'm not fucking quitting, and if you think you can make me, you can go fuck yourself."

Behind Regina, Emma was smiling in triumph at her deputy's confident words.

"Bullshit," the mayor spat. "She did  _nothing_ to protect you, and it was her fucking  _job_ to know that he was there! To be aware of her surroundings! To know exactly what she was getting her deputy into when she made the choice to call you to the scene!"

"I made a rash decision to go after it. I put myself in harm's way. That wasn't her choice. If she'd known what I was going to do, she would've stopped me," Ruby protested. Then, she looked over at Emma and asked, "Right, Sheriff?"

"Of course I would have! You're a bloody idiot for chasing that thing, but it was goddam brave of you."

Ruby smiled proudly at this, her bright green eyes locking with Emma's.

"You did good, kid," the sheriff assured her. "I'm proud to say I work with someone with as much guts as you."

"Shut up!" Regina shouted, interrupting their conversation. "That's enough! You," she said, turning on her former lover, "are not to speak to my wife again. And you-" she turned to Ruby with a scowl "- are not to set foot inside that precinct again."

"When have I  _ever_ tried to tell you how to live your life?" Ruby asked her lover. "When have I  _ever_ tried to discourage you from doing something that you love? When I have I  _ever_ not supported you in what you wanted to do?"

What could Regina say? There had never been a time where Ruby had denied her what she wanted, or hadn't been on her side. She'd been supportive of every decision Regina had made since they'd met. So the mayor said nothing. Instead, she sat down in the chair in the corner of the room and watched as Emma approached the bed once again. Her heart sank as the two joined hands and the sheriff whispered something Ruby's wife couldn't hear.

Ruby remained in the hospital for the next several days to be monitored closely for blood loss and other symptoms of shock. Luckily, no bones were shattered or broken. The bullet went into the flesh of her arm and was easily removed by the doctors who treated her. The pain was what got to her. It was nearly blinding, and the morphine did little to help. What it did do, however, was make her incredibly loopy and out of focus. Thus, many of her words escaped without passing through a filter, which, of course, did little to smooth over the recently developed bump in her relationship.

"You okay, babe?" Regina asked one morning, as Ruby squirmed in the hospital bed.

Clearly, she was in pain or, at the very least, having a nightmare. When she didn't wake, her wife gently shook her shoulder and waited for her eyes to open. When they did, Regina sighed with relief.

"Darling, are you-"

"Don't fuckin' darlin' me," Ruby muttered, looking at her lover with blurry vision.

"Ruby, I-"

"I don't want to hear it from you right now."

"Please don't do this."

"Me? What about you?"

"Ruby, let's just talk about this later, okay? Just tell me what I can get you to help you feel better. This discussion can wait until you're healed."

"It's not a fucking discussion. It's an argument, and you're not going to win it. I give you  _everything,_ Regina. Yes, you've made sacrifices for me, but the majority of our compromises end in your favor, not mine. Which has been fine, up until now, when I realized that you don't really support me, and that all you want is to control me."

"Ruby, that's ridiculous! I'm not trying to control you! I'm trying to keep you safe!"

"I'm a grown-ass woman, and if you think I need protecting, you're wrong."

"I'm not gonna watch you put yourself in harm's way under the leadership of someone who is negligent and irresponsible."

"Shut the fuck up! You know nothing about her leadership! She was trying to save me when Leroy pulled the trigger. He's the asshole, not her!"

"You think I know nothing about her? Really, Ruby?"

Her wife went silent, but the stone-cold glare on her face did not dissipate. It remained in full force. At first, Ruby was unsure of what to say. Part of her understood that Regina had spent quite a bit of time with Emma, but on the other hand, they'd been teenagers. Now, they were adults, and she was sure that Emma was different. Who she was today was not who she was when she and Regina were lovers, that much she knew.

Finally, she replied, "Actually, yeah. I think you know nothing about who she is now."

"And you know so much?"

"Get out."

"What?"

"I want you to leave."

"Ruby! Come on. We don't have to fight like this! We've never acted like this before. We don't have to start now."

"If you don't leave right now, I'll call a nurse and have you removed. Get. Out."

So, with tears filling her eyes, Regina left the room and sat down in the hallway, continuing to cry as she covered her face with her hands. It was some time before she managed to stand again and carry herself out to her car. Her tears stopped for a while, but when she thought back to Ruby's harsh words, they returned, and she had to pull over to clear her impaired vision. She sat there for a several minutes before continuing home. Once she walked into the mansion at 108 Mifflin Street, she collapsed on the couch in the living room, clutching a pillow to her chest.

She returned to the hospital the next morning with a bouquet of bright red tulips (Ruby's favorite) and entered the room quietly. It was early, and Ruby was still asleep. Without thinking about her actions, Regina approached the bed, leaned over, and placed a chaste kiss on the woman's forehead, waking her from her slumber. When Ruby realized who it was, she pulled away and scowled at her lover with dark, pained eyes.

"I don't want you here. I don't want to see you until I get home."

"Ruby, please. I-"

"Just leave, Regina."

Her wife had no choice but to obey, but left the flowers on the patient's bedside table.

When Ruby finally did come home two days later, bandaged and in pain but moving around as normal, she brought the flowers with her. Without saying a word to her wife, who'd greeted her at the door, she entered the kitchen and put the bouquet in a clean vase. She placed them on the kitchen table, then made her way to the living room, where she ignored her lover, who was standing in the middle of the room, watching her, and sat down on the couch.

"Ruby…" Regina tried, her voice soft and gentle.

"Don't talk to me right now."

"Please, don't be like this. Just listen to me. I only want to keep you safe, and I-"

"Don't. Just don't."

With a sigh, Regina sat down in the recliner near the couch and rubbed her temples.

After a long pause filled with heavy silence, Ruby announced, "I'm going to the Rabbit Hole with Emma tonight."

Regina's heart sank, then completely stopped. She wanted to protest, to ask why, to beg her to stay home and rest, but she knew it would only make things worse, so she remained silent and simply nodded her head in reluctant understanding.

Later that night, as Ruby got ready to go, Regina sat anxiously on the couch by herself, worrying about her wife's plans for the evening. When it was time for Ruby to leave, the mayor stood slowly and attempted to look her lover in the eyes. The deputy refused to meet her gaze. Instead, she turned her head and began to put on her leather jacket.

"Please be safe," her wife finally said softly.

It had been a long time since Ruby had been to the Rabbit Hole. Mostly, this was because, at a younger age, she'd had a bit of a drinking problem. Now that Ruby was returning to the bar, Regina was anxious about the results. Still, she had no right to stop her wife from doing what she wanted to do, and that was becoming blatantly clear from the woman's attitude. Even if she wanted to (and she did), there was nothing Regina could do to stop her wife from making her own choices, whether they were unwise or not.

Ruby arrived at the Rabbit Hole first and quickly made her way to the bar, where she sat down between two empty stools and put her jacket down on the one to her left to save a spot for the sheriff. Her gaze scanned the room as she watched others dance and laugh over drinks. She knew she shouldn't order one for herself, so she resisted and simply resolved to wait patiently until her companion arrived.

"Hey, Deputy," Emma said, leaning in so that her mouth was close to the woman's ear, so that she'd hear her over the high volume of the establishment.

"Hey," Ruby said with a smile, turning to face the blonde as she sat down on the stool beside her.

"How ya feelin', champ?"

"Good, actually. I mean, it hurts like a bitch, but there's no bullet in me, so I guess that's a plus."

Emma matched her playful grin, then put a hand on her shoulder, saying, "Glad to hear it, Rookie."

"I want to go back on patrol," the brunette told her firmly, looking deeply into the woman's bright green eyes. "I don't want to sit behind a desk doing paperwork."

"Ruby, I think… I really think you should take some time off from patrol. You're really not in a shape to take down a criminal, you know? I want you to be well equipped to defend yourself in a crisis situation before I send you back out into the field. I want to keep you safe."

"Don't fucking say that, okay? Regina won't stop saying it, and I'm fucking sick of hearing it. I don't need anyone to keep me safe. I'm a grown woman, and I can take care of myself."

"I allowed you to get hurt. Your wife was right. What happened to you is my responsibility, and I regret allowing you to charge into battle like that. I should've known what you were doing and stopped you. I never should have given you that shotgun."

"Don't say that. I made the decision on my own, and did it because I wanted to, okay? It had nothing to do with you. Really, it was Leroy's fault for being a terrible shot, but I'm the one who put myself in that situation. There was nothing you could have done to stop me from making that choice."

"I don't want to see you get hurt because of me. Do you understand that? You're my deputy. You're my responsibility, and I…"

When the sheriff trailed off, Ruby raised an eyebrow and pressed, "You…?"

"I care about you, alright? You're a good deputy, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

The brunette's eyes widened as she stared at Emma, completely shocked by her words.

"You… That's…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to be weird, alright? I just meant… I care about my team, you know? I care about this job."

"I do too."

"I know you do. You made that quite obvious when you went after that bear so fearlessly."

"Are you kidding? I was scared shitless," Ruby laughed, shaking her head.

As the deputy's hair fell into her eyes, Emma leaned in and tucked a few strands behind her ear.

"I'm so proud to work with you," she said softly, looking deeply into the woman's eyes.

A blush rose to the brunette's pale cheeks as she dropped her gaze and the sheriff dropped her hand to her side.

"Can I order you a drink?" Emma asked.

Ruby hesitated, then looked behind the bar at the bottles that lined the wall.

After a few moments had passed, she looked back at the sheriff and nodded her head, saying, "Please."

"And what'll you have, m'lday?"

"A shot of Crown Royal?"

"Of course, dear. Anything you'd like."

Four drinks later, Ruby was fumbling over her words, and Emma – a great deal more sober – was laughing lightly at the sight of Ruby's cheeks becoming slightly more pink.

"I wanna ask you something," Emma said slowly, after her giggling had mostly stopped.

"Anything," the brunette replied with a smile.

"There's this really pretty girl here tonight, and I'd like to ask her for a dance, but I think she'll decline. What do you think my chances are?"

"You?" Ruby laughed drunkenly. "You could have any girl in this place."

"You think?"

"Yeah. Why? Who's the lucky lady who gets to dance with the sheriff?"

"She's got dark hair and deep green eyes. Really pretty smile. Perfect laugh. She's also quite charming," the sheriff replied. When the woman looked confused, she added, "And very brave."

Ruby's lips parted as she stared at the blonde in disbelief, unsure of how to receive or respond to the statement.

All she could manage was, "Sheriff…"

"Please, call me Emma," the woman sighed. "I don't want you wto think of me as your boss. I'd like to think we've become friends in the past few weeks."

"We… We have, I suppose, but-"

"Ruby…"

"Y-Yes?"

Just as the deputy thought her superior might say something serious, the tone suddenly changed as she asked, "Can I get you another drink?"

Ruby laughed at this, shaking her head, then said, "I don't think you wanna see me after any more alcohol than I've already had. Wouldn't be very professional."

"We're not working."

"I…"

Seeing the hesitation in Ruby's face, Emma waved the bartender over and quickly ordered her another drink before she could decline the offer. The brunette looked at it apprehensively, knowing it was probably not the best idea to consume the beverage, but was tempted nonetheless. Eventually, she shrugged her shoulders and downed the shot in one well-practiced gulp, then looked back up at the woman beside her.

"Let's dance, Sheriff," she said, her lips curling into a smile.

Eyes wide with surprise, the blonde stood up and held out her hand to her co-worker and waited for the woman to take it. When she did, Emma returned the smile. Once they were on the dance floor, the sheriff cautiously put her hands on the deputy's hips as they both began to move to the music.

Back at the mansion of Mifflin Street, the mayor couldn't help but stay awake, waiting for her lover to return. When midnight rolled around and she still had not heard from or seen her wife, she began to panic. When she received no response to her texts or calls over the next thirty minutes, she decided to make sure that the woman was alright. By the time she arrived at the Rabbit Hole, her palms were sweating. When she walked through the front door and her eyes found the two together on the dance floor, her heart stopped. Their hips were pressed together, and as Regina watched, they seemed to be lost in each other.

It was only when Ruby – face red from laughter – stumbled into the blonde, nearly falling to the floor, if not for the sheriff's quick reflexes, that Regina moved in.

"Ruby," she said, announcing her presence as she stood beside the two as her wife draped her arms around Emma's neck to steady herself.

Gaze blurry, Ruby looked over at her wife and laughed even harder, then looked back to Emma.

"She thinks I've had too much to drink," she explained to the blonde, her words slurring.

"I think you have too, love," Emma chuckled lightly, lightly stroking the woman's hair out of her face, which was red from the heat of the alcohol.

"Have not," Ruby whined. "I've only just started."

"We're going home," Regina cut in, glaring at the blonde, who was still holding onto her lover with a firm, steadying grip.

"I'm not finished," the other brunette retorted. " _You_ can just bugger right off."

"Ruby," Emma said, her tone finally serious and stern as she registered the look of rage on Regina's face. "I think you should go sit down for a minute." When Ruby shook her head, Emma sighed and gently tugged the woman back to the bar, where she helped her sit down on the stool and ordered her a large glass of water, saying, "Drink this."

The brunette scowled, but obeyed the command, slowly sipping the beverage as she stared down at the bar counter. Once she was sure that the woman wasn't about to fall over, Emma stepped out of earshot and turned her attention back to Regina, who had followed them both to the bar.

Before she could speak, Regina cut in, saying, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm showing your lady a nice time, which is more than you seem to know how to do."

"You don't know  _anything_ about us!" the dark-eyed brunette shouted, causing a few heads to turn. Only when she realized that she was drawing attention to herself did she lower her voice before adding, "You need to leave, and she needs to come home."

"Regina, she's fine," Emma told the mayor. "Look at her. She's drunk. So what? I wasn't going to let her get hurt."

"You already did!"

"Ugh… Look, Regina… You're going to have to get over the fact that your wife loves her job and is becoming good friends with me. And that I'm not going to hurt her."

"No, you're just going to make moves on her while she's drunk. Jesus Christ, Emma! I mean, I knew you'd sunk pretty low, but I had no idea that you-"

"Don't you fucking dare try to tell me I'm taking advantage of her. We were having a good time, Regina. Something your anal-retentive ass would know nothing about." When Regina's face fell, clearly affected by the comment, Emma bit her lip and looked down, saying, "I just wanted her to have a good time."

"Well, clearly you managed that," Regina spat.

"Are you jealous?" the sheriff taunted, suddenly lifting her gaze with confidence.

"Excuse me?"

"I asked if you were jealous."

"I heard you! How  _dare_ you stand there and question my marriage, and-"

"I'm not questioning your marriage. I said that you clearly don't know how to show her a good time, and that was what I was trying to do. And I asked if you were jealous of that." When Regina looked shocked but didn't speak, Emma stepped closer, saying, "Regina… I'm not trying to threaten you, or your marriage." Still, Regina said nothing, so Emma decided to try a completely different tactic, leaning in close to the woman's ear and saying, "Dance with me, Gina."

For the second time that night, Regina's heart stopped. The use of her nickname – something she hadn't heard since she was seventeen – made her stomach turn. But something about it was comforting. Whether she liked it or not, it de-escalated her emotions and brought her back down to a normal level. Still, her head was spinning.

When Emma took another step forward though, bringing their bodies close enough to nearly touch each other, Regina asked breathlessly, "What are you doing?"

"Your wife is safely relaxing at the bar, and I'm asking you for a dance."

"You're… You're insane."

"I think you're right." Clearly, the mayor had no idea how to respond to this, so the sheriff simply added, "What could it hurt?"

Regina could think of several things, but she offered none of them. Instead, her attention was caught by the sight of Ruby turning her head and looking directly at her.

"Babe?" Regina asked, rushing over to her side. "You okay?"

"What's going on?" Ruby asked, her brow furrowing.

Emma, who had followed Regina back to her wife's side, cut in, "Your wife won't dance with me."

"She's got a stick too far up her ass," the green-eyed brunette giggled drunkenly, pushing a clumsy hand through her own hair.

"I don't think that's the problem," the blonde explained. "I think she's just completely repulsed by me."

The intense stare that followed as Emma locked her eyes with her former lover made Regina's heart skip a beat.

"Dance with her, Regina," Ruby ordered, setting the glass of water firmly down on the counter, splashing liquid over the sides.

"Pardon?" her wife questioned in disbelief, now staring at Ruby instead of Emma.

"I said, 'Dance with her.' She's beautiful. She has a gorgeous body. She's charming. You're missing out."

Emma's face remained serious as she watched for Regina's reaction. This wasn't a joke. Emma was seriously asking her to dance, and her drunken wife was seriously telling her to accept the offer. She wanted to scream at both of them for the ridiculousness of the situation. She wanted to drag her wife home and put her to bed and then yell at her for getting so drunk in the morning. But Emma was right. Though incredibly drunk, Ruby was fine. She wasn't getting sick. She hadn't gotten hurt. She was sitting at the bar, out of harm's way. At least a dance would shut them both up.

So Regina stepped closer to Emma and held out her hand. Once they were on the dance floor, with Ruby watching intently from the sidelines, the sheriff gently pulled the mayor closer until their bodies were pressed lightly together. At first, the brunette's movements were shy and slow, but as Emma gradually pressed closer, she gained confidence.

"Remember Junior Prom?" Emma asked, her lips close to her dance partner's ear.

The brunette blushed but nodded her head. Emma slipped a hand behind Regina and pressed her palm against the woman's lower back, closing the rest of the gap between their bodies.

"Do you remember afterwards, when I spent the night at your house?"

The mayor remembered it well. It was the closest to sex they'd ever gotten, and it was shortly after that that Emma had ended their relationship. She had to admit that the memory was somewhat nostalgic, but remembering the aftermath of that night's events only served to cause an aching burn within her. When her gaze dropped and her body's movements slowed, Emma lifted the woman's chin.

"I'm sorry," the sheriff told her. "I didn't mean for that to be painful. I was reminiscing, and I didn't think before I spoke."

"I should go."

"Regina, come on. Please, don't-"

"Goodnight, Sheriff."

By the time Regina made her way back to the bar, Ruby was tired enough to comply with her request to leave. Back at the mansion, long after her wife had fallen asleep, the mayor lay awake in their bed, staring up at the ceiling as she attempted to close the newly re-opened wounds of the past.

Just as she was finally about to fall asleep, the mayor's phone vibrated on the bedside table. Rather than ignore it and continue trying to sleep, she rolled over onto her side and swiped the screen with her thumb to unlock it.

' **I truly am sorry,'**  the text message read. It was from the sheriff.

Instead of replying, Regina locked the phone, put it back on the nightstand, and allowed herself to drift off to sleep, feeling nauseous and filled with anxiety.

In the morning, the mayor woke to the sound of her wife's sleepy mumblings.

"What's the matter?" the woman asked softly, rolling over to face the woman who was making the fuss.

"Nnnn," Ruby groaned. "Too early. Arm hurts."

"You should get up and take your pain medicine. You're going to be late for work."

Green eyes shot open as the woman sat straight up in bed, gasping, "Oh, shit! What time is it?"

Regina looked over at the clock on the nightstand, then back at her wife, replying, "Six-thirty."

"Fuck! I have to be there at seven! There's an all-staff-" Ruby started, then reached up to cover her face with a groan. "I am  _so_ hungover."

"You had a lot to drink."

"Uh… Yeah."

"Do you remember any of it?"

"Um… No… Not really. Why?"

The mayor sighed and sat up in bed, then turned her head to gaze out the window as she mumbled, "Nevermind."

After quickly getting ready for work, her wife left in a hurry, without so much as a kiss goodbye.

Ruby arrived at the precinct just in time for the meeting to begin. Emma was all business in the presence of the rest of her staff, a side of her the deputy had yet to see. When the rest of the team was dismissed, leaving Ruby and Emma alone in the office together, Ruby sat down quietly at her desk and stared at the small pile of paperwork that was waiting for her.

"How ya feelin', champ?" the blonde finally asked, sauntering over to the deputy and casually leaning on her desk.

"I, uh…. Just fine, sheriff. Thank you for asking."

Emma laughed at this, knowing full well that the woman was far from feeling 'fine.'

"Hungover much?"

"No! I-"

"Oh, come on, Deputy. Don't lie to your superior."

"I'm… I'm sorry. Yes, I am a bit hungover."

"Are you really alright though?"

The sheriff's tone was suddenly serious as she gazed down into matching green eyes.

"Yeah… Why do you ask?"

"Do you remember last night at all? I mean, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, but…"

"No. I honestly don't remember much of anything after you showing up at the Rabbit Hole."

"I tend to have that effect on women," Emma joked, flashing the woman a sly, confident smirk.

Ruby, unsure of what constituted an appropriate response to this, looked confused as a light pink blush rose to her cheeks.

Finally, she asked, "Did I do anything stupid?"

"Not at all. You didn't even fall down once. I mean, you almost did, but I caught you, of course," Emma told her with a grin. When the woman offered no reply, she added, "I wouldn't have let you get hurt."

"Then why did you ask me if I remembered? Did something happen?"

"Not much, really. You let me buy you quite a few drinks before doing me the pleasure of granting me a dance or two. Actually, we danced for quite some time, before your wife showed up."

"What? Regina saw us dancing?"

"Mhmm."

"Was she pissed?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters! She's my wife!" Ruby cried, displaying a sudden look of panic. "What did she say?"

"She could tell you were highly intoxicated and wanted to take you home. I convinced her to let you sit at the bar a little longer, and you convinced her to dance with me."

The brunette stared at her as though something was growing out of her ears. Had she heard right? Her wife, Regina Mills, had danced with her ex, without so much as a single cocktail? And she herself, Ruby Lucas, had been the one to convince her to do so? Surely, that wasn't… But Emma wouldn't lie. Was she joking, though? Ruby searched her face for the joke, but didn't find it. Instead, she found a gentle, crooked smile that displayed the woman's amusement at her reaction.

"So hard to believe that I could get a woman to dance with me?" she playfully asked the deputy.

"No! Of course not! I just… You two… have… a history… and Regina… She…"

"Knows how to hold a grudge?"

Ruby blinked a few times to clear her head before speaking again, then said, "She doesn't hold a grudge against you."

"Of course she does," the sheriff laughed. "She's always-"

"Emma…."

"What?"

"I don't think you quite understand how your relationship affected her."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You think I meant to hurt her? You think I-"

"She loved you, Emma."

"Oh, fuck off. Regina Mills doesn't-"

"Don't. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"That's not true. You don't know what happened between us."

"I do, actually."

"Excuse me?"

"She told me. At least, she gave me the gist of it."

"Oh, yeah? And what exactly did Mrs. Mills tell you about me?"

"Emma, relax. Don't get all fucking defensive. I'm not taking sides."

"Like Hell you're not taking sides. You think she told you  _my_  side of the story? She told you hers, which was, no doubt, a complete sob story about how horrible I was to her."

"No. Not at all. She told me she loved you and lost you because she wouldn't… Because you didn't think she did love you."

"What were you about to say?"

"What?"

"When you trailed off and changed your mind. What were you going to say?"

"She… Look, I shouldn't even be talking about this with you. It's your private life. It's her private life. It's none of my business, and I-"

"Well, she made it your business by telling you what she did, didn't she?"

"Emma, please, don't get upset. I really think you're taking this all the wrong way…"

"And how am I supposed to take it?"

"Look, if you're so invested in involving me and talking to me about it, why don't you just tell me your side?"

"What?"

"Well, it's obvious that I upset you with my words. I can see that you feel like I'm not listening, and that you must feel like I have a biased view of things, so perhaps it would be beneficial to you to share your side of the story."

"I…"

"It's alright. It was just an offer, okay? We can drop it if you'd like. I just hope you know that I'm not here to judge you, and that I'm honestly not on anyone's side. Besides, you were seventeen. Who you both were then is far from who you both are now."

"I'm not so sure of that."

"What do you mean?"

"I think she's still that same person. But I've changed."

"She's not the same person. She's learned how to love." When the sheriff simply looked at her, saying nothing, Ruby continued, "I think she felt love then, but didn't know how to show it or allow it to take over." This rendered Emma completely silent, so Ruby sighed and shook her head, saying, "This is silly. I should shut up. Let's get back to work."

"Ruby, wait…" the sheriff finally managed, her voice cracking. When the brunette continued to look her in the eyes, she asked, "You really think she loved me?"

"I know she did."

"But how?"

"She told me. But it's also in the way she talks about you. I… I asked her if she regretted… I mean… If…"

"Maybe you shouldn't tell me this. I feel like I'm invading her privacy by talking about this with you… but I… I also feel like I need to know…"

Ruby sighed and shook her head.

"I think you should talk to her."

"Are you kidding? She'd never talk about this with me. I'd have to chain her down and threaten her with fire to get her to discuss her feelings. Even then, she'd-"

"She's not like that anymore. She's shy, but she's more open and honest than she used to be. When I met her, she was… She was so closed off and reserved. Eventually, though, she opened up to me, and it was like… I don't know. I don't know how to describe it. There's so much pain in her heart, you know? She's got so many regrets that weigh her down, but she pushes through it and tries to make every day better. That's the person she's become."

Emma sighed and pushed a hand through her hair.

"Maybe all she needed was the right woman to bring that out of her."

The deputy blushed and looked away, saying, "Nah. I just showed up at the right time in her life."

"I don't think that's true. Regina Mills would never open up to just anybody."

"And you're not just anybody. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but definitely someday soon, you two need to talk about the past and figure out what really happened between you."

"How can you say that so casually? I mean… She's your wife. Doesn't it bother you, that I'm here, that I'm in your lives now?"

"Obviously, if I'm letting you dance with me,  _and_ my wife, I'm not bothered by you or your behavior."

"You were just drunk. I sort of took advantage of you."

"That's not true, Emma. All you asked for was a dance."

When their eyes met again, the blonde replied, "At any rate, it was an absolute honor to spend that time outside of work with you last night, and I'm grateful for your friendship." As Ruby nodded her head, Emma forced a small smile and added, "Well, better get this paperwork done, huh? Not gonna fill itself out, is it?"

"No… No, it's not."

So the first half of their day was spent doing paperwork, before they received a few calls of distress from some members of the town. At the end of the night, as the two stood in the doorway of the precinct to say goodnight, they shared a knowing glance.

"Goodnight, Ruby," the sheriff said softly. "Thank you for all your hard work today."

"Have a good evening, Sheriff."

But when the deputy turned to leave, Emma grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back, saying, "Call me Emma, Ruby. Please…"

"Alright…" Ruby said shyly. "Goodnight, Emma."

"Thank you for your kind words this morning, too. I apologize for getting all up-in-arms about it. As I'm sure you can imagine, it's a sensitive subject for me."

"Yes… I… I'm sure that it is."

As Ruby hesitated to leave, Emma leaned in, pressing a chaste kiss on Ruby's cheek before turning to leave the office.

That night, the deputy and her wife sat in silence as they ate dinner. Only when they were half way through the meal did Regina choose to speak.

"How was your day?"

"It was fine," Ruby said quickly, thinking back to the kiss on the cheek she'd been given before she left the station.

"Anything eventful happen?"

What was she supposed to say to that? How was she supposed to answer? The day hadn't exactly been  _eventful,_ but it wasn't exactly 'nothing' either. Still, she wanted to give Emma the chance to talk to Regina herself, so giving away their conversation would be detrimental to that effort. That being the case, she declined to mention it, instead resolving to shake her head and continue eating.

"Alright," the mayor said, taking a slow sip of her wine.

"What about yours?" her wife finally asked, looking up from her plate.

"It was okay. The budget reports for the station look great. We've cut spending by 20% but increased our responses to crime reports over the past month and a half. Other than that, it was relatively boring. That's good news, though. Something to smile about."

"Yeah… That's good."

The rest of the meal was somewhat quiet and awkward, until finally, Regina stood up and announced quietly that she was going to bed early. For a long while, Ruby sat alone at the table, staring at the half-full bottle of wine that her wife had left on the table. She considered drinking it, but declined to do so, even though the pull was strong. She was uncomfortable in her own skin, and it made her want to drink. Her relationship, which she'd once been so confident in, now seemed strange and distant, and she couldn't explain why.

Once she finally decided to go to bed, after cleaning the dishes from dinner, she found her wife fast asleep, rolled on her side, facing the window, which was open and allowing a gentle breeze to blow through the room. When Ruby saw her figure in the moonlight, she approached the bed slowly, slipping under the covers with care not to wake the sleeping beauty. As Regina breathed slow, heavy breaths, the green-eyed brunette reached out and softly stroked the woman's hair, then placed a careful kiss on the exposed skin of the woman's neck. To her surprise, her wife, usually a very heavy sleeper, woke with a start.

"Ruby?" she gasped, sitting straight up.

"I'm sorry," the deputy quickly apologized. "I thought…"

"No, it's… It's fine. I just… I felt… something… in my sleep… and it startled me."

When Regina made no move to relax, Ruby said softly, "Lie down, babe. Get some rest. I won't do it again."

Slowly, the mayor nodded and got comfortable once more, then fell back to sleep, thanking whatever gods there were that her wife was finally not as upset with her as she had been. Ruby, on the other hand, stayed awake late into the night, watching her lover's steady breaths cause her chest to rise and fall as she dreamed. Eventually, Regina started to look panicked and anxious, but rather than wake her, her wife resolved to let her sleep. It was only around four in the morning that the deputy finally found her own way to dreamland, where she continued to worry about her rocky marriage and her relationship with the sheriff.

The next few weeks went on like that, but with no more discussion between the sheriff and her deputy about the mayor. Ruby and Regina continued to be unintentionally distant and short with each other, and miscommunications continued to occur, deepening the rift between them. When it had finally been two months since she'd made love to her wife, Ruby truly began to worry, and it affected her work life by distracting her to no end.

"Are you sure you're alright?" the sheriff would ask, putting a caring hand on the woman's shoulder. "How's the arm?"

"I'm fine, Sheriff. Really."

"Ruby,  _please_. Call me Emma."

"Emma… I'm… I'm doing fine. My arm is fine. I'm already much stronger. I'll be lifting weights again soon. I mean… not heavy ones, but still."

"That's great, hun!" Emma said happily. Then, with a wink, she added, "Can't wait to see that."

One evening, when the deputy looked particularly downtrodden, Emma pulled up a seat beside her desk and asked, "What's up, doc?"

"Just paperwork," the brunette sighed heavily. "I'm exhausted. I'm disgusting, and I need a shower, and my hair is-"

"Your hair is perfect," the sheriff cut in, gently tucking some of it behind the woman's ear.

Ruby blushed and looked down, but Emma quickly lifted her chin to look into her eyes.

"Really, love. What's the matter? Why so blue?"

"I'm not blue," the deputy protested, averting her gaze as the blonde's gentle fingertips remained on her chin.

"Alright," the sheriff sighed. "If you say so. But if you need anything, Ruby… I'm here, okay? Anything."

Before the brunette could respond, Emma leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss just beside the woman's deep red lips, sending a shiver down Ruby's spine.

"Emma…" she said softly, still unable to raise her gaze.

Without another word, though, the sheriff stood up and was gone.

When it came time for her monthly meeting with the mayor, it became Emma's turn to sweat and feel nervousness. For some reason, being in close proximity to the woman once again seemed terrifying. What she'd once felt so casually about was suddenly a serious matter, and her deputy's words stuck out in her mind as she knocked on the door to the woman's office.

"Come in," the mayor said.

The sheriff obeyed, stepping inside and taking her seat across from the mayor as she set her packet of reports on the desk.

"Good afternoon, Madam Mayor."

"Good afternoon, Sheriff."

"How is everything going?"

Regina raised an eyebrow, but replied with, "Just fine, thank you. And how are things at the precinct?"

"Quite well."

There was a long pause as the two of them opened their packets of papers and began to quietly flip through the pages, until finally, Emma dared to speak again.

"I, um… Might I ask you something?"

Looking startled, the brunette answered, "You may."

"Is… Is Ruby alright?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"She seems… withdrawn. Detached. I mean, she fakes a smile well enough, but when she thinks no one's looking… it's like the entire weight of the world is pressing down on her shoulders. There's this… this broken look in her eyes…"

"I… I'm not…" the mayor started, but was too stunned to continue.

As she thought about the woman's words, Regina realized that the sheriff was right. Ruby did seem down, detached, and withdrawn. She couldn't help but wonder if it was her fault. Ever since she'd told her wife that she was bored with her job, things hadn't felt right. But Ruby hadn't said another word about it. In fact, they'd barely shared any words at all, in the little time they spent around each other. Dinners were quiet, and the mayor usually turned in early for sleep.

"Regina?"

"I'm not sure," Regina confessed. "She does seem… different…"

"Listen… About the night at the Rabbit Hole… I really do apologize. I never should have brought up what I did. I should have just let it be. I should have just savored and enjoyed the moment. I just… I couldn't help but remember, you know? Holding you close like that, I…"

"Sheriff, please," the mayor interrupted, then cleared her throat. "I don't think this is a matter that calls for discussion. You were intoxicated, and I-"

"I wasn't intoxicated."

The brunette stared at her. Surely, she must have been, to have asked  _her_  to dance. Any sober woman in their right mind would have asked her wife to dance, but Emma asking  _her?_ Now  _that_ was crazy. Not knowing what to say, Regina simply shook her head, in response to nothing.

"I am sorry, Regina."

"I would appreciate, Sheriff, if we could get back to the expense reports."

"Please, call me Emma. I've never been a sheriff to you. I've always been Emma. Don't let that change now just because of my job."

"You  _are_  the sheriff, Miss Swan. I suggest you act like it."

"Don't do this, Regina. Don't act like nothing happened between us."

"Nothing did happen between us, Miss Swan, because I didn't allow it."

"Oh, so my loving you was nothing because we didn't have sex?"

Regina's eyes went wide and flashed with rage as she stared at her former lover. She pressed both palms down on the desk and leaned in slightly.

"You think," she began sternly, "that you can say  _that_ to  _me?_ "

As the gravity of what she'd said dawned on her, Emma's heart sank, then froze, skipping a beat.

"Regina, I-"

"Get out of my office."

"Wait! I didn't mean-"

"Get out."

"Regina, I loved you!" Emma shouted, standing up from her seat. "I would have done anything for you."

"Except wait. You wouldn't wait."

"You wouldn't tell me you loved me! If you'd said it, I would have waited forever for you!"

The mayor's mouth hung open. Was she hearing this right? Surely, after all these years, the story couldn't be so different than she remembered. Surely, there was some misunderstanding.

"I only left because I thought you didn't love me," Emma continued as her eyes began to water. "It wasn't about the sex."

"I was seventeen. I'd been hurt. I was scared. I didn't know how to tell you."

"Wait…  _What?_ " the blonde gasped.

"I… I…" the mayor tried, but the words stuck fast in her throat. "You need to leave."

So the sheriff did exactly that, furious and broken by her dismissal.

That night, though, Regina received a text from the blonde that caught her by surprise.

' **Did you love me or not? Just tell me the truth. I need to know how badly I fucked up by leaving you.'**

At first, Regina thought she might vomit. Then, she was sure she was going to. She rushed to the bathroom and knelt in front of the toilet, dry heaving as soon as she was close enough not to miss, but nothing came out. Tears filled her eyes as she gripped the edges of the porcelain, and she stayed like that for almost fifteen minutes, until her wife found her.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Ruby asked, kneeling down beside her and pulling her hair out of her face. "Are you sick? What happened? Why are you crying?"

Rather than speaking, Regina simply pushed her cell phone across the tile floor in the deputy's direction, allowing her to read the words for herself.

"You do regret losing her," Ruby sighed, as soon as she saw the words. Regina vigorously shook her head, but her wife put a hand firmly on her back and added, "You don't have to lie to me."

"I love you," Regina said desperately through her tears. "I want to be with you."

"But I think you want her too." When her wife began to cry harder, wordlessly confirming her suspicions, the deputy confessed, "And so do I."


	3. Relief

" _What?_ " Regina finally managed to gasp, lifting her eyes from the floor to her wife.

"You love me."

"Of course I love you!"

"But you love her too."

The mayor opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Instead, she dropped her eyes back to the floor where her cell phone sat between them, with the screen lit up and the text message displayed.  _'_ _ **I need to know how badly I fucked up by leaving you.'**_ As Regina re-read the words, her heart stopped again, and her stomach heaved.

"Are you going to answer her?" Ruby finally asked.

When her wife didn't reply, she wet a washcloth in the sink, knelt down, and carefully wiped her lover's lips. Regina didn't raise her gaze, so Ruby gently tugged her to her feet. Then, she lifted the woman's chin and looked into her eyes, pressing, "Are you?"

"No!" Regina snapped through the tears, pushing the deputy's hand away and rising to her feet.

With a sigh, Ruby handed her a toothbrush and the toothpaste, which Regina took gratefully. When the mayor finished brushing her teeth and made a move to leave the bathroom without saying another word, her wife grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Why not?"

"Because it's foolish and childish and not worth my time to engage her in a conversation about a past that's over and done with!"

"She deserves to know."

"What good will it do? It's over."

"She deserves to know."

"I'm not responding to her immature baiting."

"It's not immature. She cares."

"I don't care if she cares! It's in the past! She needs to get over it!"

"Are you over it?"

The two shared a heavy glance as Ruby continued to gently hold on to the woman's wrist.

After a long pause, Regina finally answered, "Of course I'm over it."

"You've never lied to me before," Ruby said slowly. "At least not that I know of. Please, don't start now."

"Ruby! Come on! Stop it! You're my wife, and I love you.  _You,_ Ruby. You need to let this go."

The mayor's wife looked unsure and apprehensive, but she let the subject drop and released her grip on the woman's wrist. When Regina's hand fell to her side, Ruby's gaze dropped as the words she wanted to say got stuck in her throat.

What she managed to get out was a weak, sad-sounding, "Why haven't we made love in two months?"

"W-What?" Regina stuttered, staring at her wife, who was still looking away.

"Regina," Ruby sighed, lifting her gaze back to her lover's face. "Why haven't we made love in two months? We've never gone that long. I thought we were happy together. I thought…"

"We are! We are happy together," the mayor protested desperately. "At least, I thought we were. I'm happy with you. Are… Are you happy with me?"

"I miss you."

"But I'm right here…"

"No, you're not. You've been somewhere else for a long, long time. You're not just bored with your job. You're bored with our marriage."

"That's not true!"

"It is true."

"Ruby!"

"Don't lie to me, okay? Tell me you don't want to talk about it, or that this conversation is over. Run away from it, if you have to, but don't fucking stand there and lie to me like I mean nothing to you."

"Ruby…" Regina tried, but her voice was soft and powerless. When her wife didn't respond, she stepped closer, cupping the woman's face in her hands, and said, "I love you. Do you still love me too?"

"Of course I do. You're my wife, Regina. I'll never stop loving you. Never."

Nervous hands gently slid down Ruby's arms to her wrists and pulled the woman out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, where Regina sat down on the bed and continued to keep her grip. The other brunette look a little surprised and confused at the gesture, so the mayor tugged her forward slightly and looked up into her eyes, until their lips were hovering close together. When the deputy didn't take the hint, Regina leaned up slightly, kissing the woman slowly. Ruby could taste the tears on her lips, but she kissed back anyway, pulling her hands away to tangle her fingers in the woman's dark locks of hair.

"Regina," she mumbled into the kiss as the woman leaned back on the bed and grabbed her shoulders to pull her down with her. "I love you."

Hearing this encouraged the mayor, so she gently slid her hands up under the deputy's shirt and lifted it over her head, throwing it to the corner of the room, near the dirty laundry hamper. It missed and fell on the floor, but Regina ignored it, instead electing to reach behind her lover's back and undo the clasp of her bra, letting that drop to the floor. Her wife returned the favor with slow and careful hands, until goose bumps appeared on the mayor's arms.

"I love you," Regina whispered as she reached out and undid the top button of her wife's tightly fitting jeans.

After her jeans and panties were removed, Ruby mirrored the action, pulling the woman's dress pants and underwear down past her ankles and throwing them to the floor beside the bed. Knowing that her wife preferred to make love beneath the sheets, rather than on top of the comforter, the deputy tugged the covers down and repositioned their bodies so that they were covered, then made herself comfortable between Regina's legs.

When Ruby's body pressed into her, causing slight friction between her legs, the mayor gasped softly and let her head drop to the pillows.

"Ruby," she sighed, her voice breathy.

The woman leaned in until the air her wife exhaled was warm on her cheek, then slipped her hand between Regina's legs to be greeted by the slickness between her folds.

"Oh, fuck, Regina," she breathed, her face growing hot with anticipation as her heart raced from the anticipation. "You're…"

"Ready for you," the mayor whispered.

Ruby blushed and carefully rubbed her fingers over her wife's swollen clit, earning a quiet moan from the woman's full, red lips. The noises grew louder as she pressed slightly harder and moved in small circles, until the deputy was unable to restrain herself any longer. Slowly, she covered Regina's mouth with her own and slipped her tongue past the mayor's wet lips. It was welcomed warmly as the woman kissed back and lifted her hips slightly to gain more friction. Sensing that her lover wanted more, Ruby slid her fingers down to the mayor's entrance and slipped two fingertips inside.

Regina squeezed her eyes shut and moaned her lover's name, then begged for more.

"Deeper," she pleaded desperately, already driven wild by the teasing. "Please, baby… Please."

Her wife obliged, finally sliding her fingers into her lover's hot, aching core, causing the woman to yelp in surprise.

"Fuck…  _Ruby_ …"

"I love you," the deputy whispered. "I love you so much."

Regina whimpered back a breathless, "I love you too," before pressing her hips up to push Ruby's fingers deeper, until they were all the way inside.

When the green-eyed beauty curled her fingers inside her, Regina cried out loudly and gasped for air, but her wife quickly covered her mouth with her own and continued the kiss. As she sustained her movements, the mayor moaned into her mouth, and Ruby could taste her ecstasy and desperation, which only served to arouse her further.

As soon as Regina pulled away to catch her breath, Ruby said, "Babe… God, I love you so much..."

The mayor's cries became more frantic as Ruby's movements quickened, and the sound drove her wild, until, completely without thinking, she suddenly stopped and asked, "Do you want to fuck her?"

Regina's eyes shot open in horror, and she stared at her lover without speaking.

"Do you?" the deputy pressed, her voice soft and calm, rather than pressured or harsh.

Even in the dim light of the moon, Ruby could see the tears start to sparkle on her lover's cheeks.

"No, babe," the deputy whispered, removing her fingers from Regina's core and using her other hand to touch the woman's cheek. "Don't cry. Just tell me. It's okay."

"Yes," the dark-eyed woman whimpered through the tears. "I'm so sorry. But I love you… I love you, and I-"

"Shh. Baby, I know," Ruby told her. "I do too."

"You do what?"

"I want to fuck her too."

"But…"

"But I want to fuck her with you."

"What?" Regina gasped in surprise, her heart stopping in her chest.

Ruby pressed their lips together once again, slowly and gently, until Regina whimpered.

"I want to make love to her together," the deputy said. "Just think about it, baby…" When she slipped her fingers back inside her lover's heat, the woman cried out again, and Ruby whispered, "Think about it. Think about fucking her with me."

"I… I… Ah!  _Fuck_ , Ruby," her wife moaned as the woman curled her fingers.

"Don't you want to?"

"Oh, fuck… Yes… Ruby…"

Ruby's breath grew labored as she quickened her pace, until her lover's walls began to clench and contract around her fingers.

"Say her name," she whispered. "Sat her name when you come."

"W-What? I-"

"Say it. Think about her and say her name."

When she added a third finger, that was all Regina needed to be brought to her climax, and in ecstasy, her inhibitions disappeared, and she moaned, "Emma!"

As soon as she felt the mayor's orgasm end, Ruby removed her fingers and collapsed into the woman's arms, and Regina held her close as the deputy's head fell to her shoulder.

"I love you," Ruby whispered. "I'll always love you."

With a light, contented sigh, Regina repeated the words back to her and shut her eyes again. They lay like that until they both fell asleep.

In the morning, Ruby was still clinging to her wife as the sun streamed in through the window.

"No," she groaned, burying her face in the woman's shoulder. When Regina stirred, she added, "Too early. We're staying home today."

Regina laughed lightly and kissed the woman's cheek, saying, "No way, hun. We're both going to work. Besides…"

When the woman trailed off and didn't finish her sentence, Ruby asked, "What?"

"You should talk to Emma…"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I think you should just tell her how you feel."

"What about you? What about how you feel?"

"Don't worry about me and my feelings. I think… I think it's more important that she knows about your emotions, not mine."

"Regina, I want… I want us both to-"

"There's no way she'll-"

"How do you know? How do you know if we don't even try?"

"I know her. She'd be too scared."

"Then we'll convince her. She obviously cares about you, and since we come as a package deal-"

"Me? She's crazy for you. I can see it in her eyes when she talks about you."

"She… She talks about me?"

"Yeah. When we had our last meeting she wanted to know how you were."

"But she works with me every day."

"You've been closed off, Ruby. You've been withdrawn and downtrodden, and neither of us could really figure out why. We both care about you."

"She cares about you too. She didn't mean to hurt you."

"Ruby, don't."

"I think  _you_ should talk to her."

"Are you crazy? Absolutely not."

"Regina, come on," Ruby sighed. "You can't hide from her forever."

"Sure I can."

"So… What? We're supposed to get off just  _thinking_  about her?"

"Well, we certainly did last night."

"I don't want our sex life to be like that, Regina. I want it to be special and crazy and emotional and passionate."

"Our sex isn't passionate?"

"Babe, that's not what I meant! I just meant… I want it to be all of those things."

"I… I'm sorry."

"Regina, come on. Don't be like that. Just  _talk_ to her."

"You first."

"Regina!"

"You first."

"Ugh! Fine, you brat. I'll talk to her."

Regina laughed and kissed the woman's lips, saying, "You always give in to me, don't you, baby?"

"That's because I can't resist you, you twerp."

For the first time, when Ruby entered the police station that day, she was nervous. As soon as she saw Emma, her heart raced.

"Hey, gorgeous!" the sheriff said happily, giving her an enthusiastic wave. "How goes it?"

Ruby blushed immediately and tore her gaze away from the beautiful woman.

"Fine, thanks," she muttered, sitting down at her desk and shuffling through paperwork she wasn't actually reading.

"What's the matter?" Emma asked, walking over to her deputy's desk. "Your arm hurting you?"

It was, but, of course, that wasn't why Ruby was anxious. It was a far deeper matter she had to contend with.  _Why does it have to be me who talks?_ she whined to herself.  _It's not fair. Regina knew her first._  But she was stuck with the mission now, and certainly wasn't about to back out of it, even though she wanted to.

Still, she was too scared to bring it up right away, so she lied, "I'm fine. It's fine. I just don't like paperwork."

"Oh. Alright then. Well… Let me know if there's anything I can do, okay?"

"Sure. Thanks, Sheriff."

"For God's sake, Ruby! Stop calling me that!"

"But you're-"

"Emma. My name is Emma. And if you don't start using it, I'll have you written up for insubordination."

"Oh, come on."

"Don't think I won't do it. There's no way you can keep calling me "Sheriff" after the way you danced with me that night."

Of course, this made Ruby turn bright red as she looked away again, refusing to meet the sheriff's gaze.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"What are you sorry for? I enjoyed myself, and I'd like to think you did too…"

"I… I did. I mean… I…"

"Get back to work, Deputy," Emma said suddenly. "We'll discuss this later."

It was only at the end of the day, as the blonde was about to leave the precinct, that Ruby gathered the courage to speak more than three words at a time.

"Emma…" she said slowly, her voice cracking.

The woman stopped in her tracks and turned around to face the brunette.

"What's up?"

"I… I'd like to talk to you about something, before you leave."

"Alright…" Emma replied slowly, hanging her jacket back on the coat rack before walking back over to the deputy and pulling up a chair.

Once she sat down, Ruby finally dared to look her in the eyes.

"Are you flirting with me, or is this just your personality?"

"What?"

"The way you talk to me… It's casual, and…"

"Have I offended you?"

"No! No, it's not that. I just… You call me gorgeous, and-"

"You are gorgeous, Ruby…"

Again, the woman blushed.

"I'm really not."

"Your wife knows you are."

"My wife…"

"Your wife is a beautiful woman too. You… um…"

"What?"

"You make a lovely couple…"

"Emma…"

"What is it, Ruby? What's going on? Did I say something wrong? Are you alright? What's the matter?"

"Emma, please. Nothing's the matter. I just… When I'm around you… When you say things… When you call me gorgeous… I just… I need to know if you're flirting with me."

"Ugh! Ruby, of course I'm flirting with you!"

"But, I…"

"I know it's unprofessional. I know it is. I just… didn't realize how much I cared about you until Leroy… until… until the accident. When you got hurt, I… I felt horribly. All I wanted was to take your pain away."

"Emma…"

"I can't help myself, Ruby. You're a beautiful woman, inside and out, and I love working with you and spending time with you, especially outside of work. I love the way you laugh… the way you talk… the way you danced with me…"

"I'd love to dance with you again… if you'd have me as a partner," Ruby confessed. "Wait… I meant… I meant, like… a dance partner…"

"I think I know what you meant," the sheriff replied slowly, a smirk growing across her lips.

"You really are a flirt," the brunette laughed lightly.

When Emma nodded her head, the deputy smiled brightly.

"Especially with you and your wife."

Ruby's eyes widened.

"Me…  _and_ my wife?"

"Of course. You're both beautiful women who I care for deeply, and-"

"You still care for her."

With a sigh, Emma replied, "Of course I do, Ruby. She was my first love, and you sure as hell can't forget a woman like her."

"That's true," Ruby conceded. "You really can't. She is amazing."

"And so are you."

"I'm… I'm not, really… I honestly don't know why she's with me."

"Ruby! She's with you because she loves you!"

"Emma…"

"What?"

"She loves you too."

Of course, the sheriff's jaw dropped at this, and she said nothing.

"She does," Ruby repeated. "She did then, and she does now."

"Ruby, don't… Please…"

"It's true! Emma, come on. Can't you see it when she looks at you?"

"Of course not! She looks at me like she wants to set me on fire!"

"That's because  _you_ set  _her_ on fire."

Staring slack-jawed and open-mouthed, Emma tried to comprehend what she was hearing.

Finally, she said, "I don't know what that means."

"Oh, for Chrissakes. She regrets losing you. Why don't you see that?"

"I… She hates me. She hates me for what I did to her."

"What do you mean?"

"I left her, Ruby! I completely abandoned her, because I thought she didn't love me! I thought… I don't know. I was seventeen, and I was stupid. I thought sex meant love, and I thought you had to  _say_ you loved the person for it to be true. I didn't see it. Not in what she said, not in how she acted, and not in how she looked at me. I still don't."

"She did love you, Emma. She still does. Please, just believe me. I  _know_  her. We've been together for more than three years, and we've been married for more than two. I see her every day, and I know what she's like. I mean… I was starting to think I didn't know her for a while there… but… seeing her cry… I know that I do."

"Wait, what? Why was she crying?! What happened?"

"That text you sent her really pushed her over the edge."

"But, I… I didn't mean to hurt her… I just… I needed to know, and I-"

"I know. I know. But it hit her pretty hard, because – like I told you – she still loves you, and regrets what happened between you."

"I've missed her every day since I told her I was leaving."

"You need to tell her."

"Ruby, I can't. She-"

"Loves you."

"Ruby! Stop it! I know you think you know her, but-"

"Why do you think she ignored your text message?"

"Because she hates me?"

"You're being so fucking immature right now!" Ruby shouted, slamming her first down on the desk. "She's fucking scared, Emma! She's scared of you. She's scared of loving you."

With a sigh, the sheriff replied, "Are you sure about this?"

" _Yes,_ Emma. Just talk to her."

After a pause, the blonde said, "I could never forget you either, Ruby… There's just something about you that I… I can't let go of…"

"Emma…"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said  _any_ of this. I don't know what the hell I was thinking. I'm so sorry, Ruby. I… All I do is fuck shit up. I should keep our relationship professional. It's just… so… difficult…"

"It's difficult for me too…"

"But you're married!"

"I know I am. Happily married. That doesn't change how I feel about you."

"Sorry… What?"

Ruby sucked in a deep, shaky breath and met the woman's gaze.

"I want you, Emma."

The sheriff stared wide-eyed, unable to comprehend the deputy's words as her face flooded with color.

"I don't… I don't understand," she finally managed.

Mustering all the bravery she could manage, Ruby leaned in and pressed her lips to Emma's, holding them there until she kissed back, slowly, but with passion. When they finally pulled away, they were breathless.

"Do you now?" the brunette questioned, not breaking the gaze.

Their eyes locked and flashed with desire. Still, Emma made no response. Instead, she simply looked surprised and shaken.

"Do I need to demonstrate again?" Ruby pressed, her tone finally playful, and even a little confident.

"Yes."

So Ruby complied with the request, connecting their lips in a burning kiss once again, but this time tangling her fingers in the woman's long blonde locks to pull her closer and deepen the connection between them.

When Ruby eventually pulled away again, she sighed, saying, "You need to talk to Regina."

"What? But I… We just…"

"I'll tell her. Just talk to her."

"You first," Emma grumbled, looking away.

The deputy lifted her chin slowly until their eyes met again, then said, "Smile, Sunshine. Everything's gonna be alright." With an even deeper blush than before, the sheriff averted her gaze, but Ruby caught her lips again, saying, "I'm gonna go. I'll text you once I've spoken to her, okay?"

Emma nodded weakly, then pressed one last kiss to the woman's soft, red lips.

Back at the mansion of Mifflin Street, Ruby anxiously awaited her wife's arrival. Around eight o'clock, the mayor finally shuffled through the door with an armful of groceries. Her lover instantly jumped off the couch to help carry them into the kitchen. Once they were put away, she grabbed the woman's hand and looked into her eyes.

"How was your day?" she asked slowly. "Is everything alright?"

"It was fine. I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm… I'm okay."

"Did you talk to Emma?"

"She's still in love with you, Regina."

"Did she say that?!"

"In so many words, yes."

"What does that mean?"

"She regrets leaving you."

"Did you tell her how you feel about her?"

"I did."

"And?"

"And I told her to talk to you herself."

"But what about-"

"I kissed her."

"I… What did she say?"

"Nothing, really. I don't think she quite gets it. You need to make it clear to her."

"But I-"

"She's going to call you."

"Wait, what?"

"I told her to call you."

"But I don't know what to say! What do I say?!"

"You tell her the truth, Regina."

"Why couldn't you just do it?"

"I pretty much did. I just don't think it's quite clicked yet. Anyway, you're on your own, kid. I'm gonna have a drink."

Just as Ruby turned toward the liquor cabinet, Regina gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Babe, don't. You don't need to drink just because you're nervous."

"I'm not nervous. I'm terrified."

"Well, how did she react when you kissed her? I mean, I know she didn't say anything, but-"

"She kissed me back, but she looked really confused. Anyway, I'm at least gonna go lie down on the couch."

"But I-"

"You'll be fine. Just be honest."

With that, her wife turned and walked away, leaving the mayor alone to plan her words. Shortly after Ruby texted the sheriff that their conversation had ended, Regina's phone rang. After recovering from heart palpitations, the brunette answered the call.

Even though she knew who was calling, she answered, "Mayor Mills speaking."

"Why do you answer your phone like that when you know it's me?" Emma laughed lightly, a smile curling her lips.

"I… It's a habit."

"Do you answer the phone for your wife like that?"

"Of course not."

"Seems silly to answer it like that for me then."

"You're not my wife…"

"No, but we've certainly known each other long enough to move past the formalities, don't you think?"

After a long pause, Regina replied, "I suppose."

"Anyway, I… I really… need to talk to you."

"Alright."

"You never answered my text."

"I know."

"I need to know, Regina."

"I don't know what to tell you…"

"The truth! Just tell me the truth, for Chrissakes. Is it really that hard not to lie?"

"I simply prefer not to discuss it with you."

"Stop it. Stop talking like that. I'm so done hearing you put up a front like that."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means you're acting all reserved and professional with me, like we've got no history. Don't you remember it at all?"

"I… Of course I do…"

"What do you remember about us, then?"

"I… I remember how happy I was…"

"Oh, yeah? Why didn't you act it then?"

"Because I was scared and insecure, okay? Jesus Christ, Emma! Do you have to be so pushy? You were always such a bully!"

"Is that really what you think of me? That I'm a pushy bully who never loved you?"

"Well… Sort of..."

"What do you mean 'sort of?'"

"I'm not sure what to think, honestly. When I look back on us, all I can feel is…"

When Regina trailed off, Emma pressed, "What? Tell me."

"I feel… regret… I didn't want to admit it before, but now… now I can't deny it. It's just so… there."

"I feel the same way."

"What?"

"Regina…"

"What?"

"I was in love with you. I didn't want to leave."

"Why did you?"

"Because I thought you didn't love me! You wouldn't let me make love to you. You wouldn't say 'I love you.' You barely even talked to me about how you were feeling."

"I wasn't ready for sex, and I was too scared to tell you how I felt. I was vulnerable and exposed and I didn't know how to deal with it, so I shut down and chose to deny and ignore it."

"But… that means…"

"I did love you."

"I still love you."

"What?!"

"I think you heard me."

"Say it again."

"I still love you, Regina."

"I…"

"You don't have to say it back. You never could when we were together. Why would you be able to say it now?"

"Em…"

The use of her old nickname made the sheriff's heart melt.

"Gina…" she responded, with equal intimacy.

"I do still love you," the mayor finally confessed. "It just hurts so badly to see you. To be around you."

"Then why did you dance with me?"

"My wife told me to."

"I know she did, but why did you say yes?"

"To shut you both up!"

"Okay, fine. Then why did you let me put my hands all over you?"

"I…"

"The way you pressed yourself against me, someone else might think you were actually enjoying yourself."

"I… I was…"

"I was too. Just like I enjoyed myself at Prom."

"I did want to make love to you, Emma. I just wasn't ready."

"I'm realizing that now, and…"

"And?"

"And I'm so, so sorry that I pushed you. But I'm more sorry that I let you go." When Regina was silent, Emma continued, saying, "But maybe it's better this way. I mean, you're happy with Ruby, right? You have a good marriage?"

"Yes…"

"Why don't you sound sure?"

"Because… I am happy… and I think she's happy too… but… there's… something… missing…"

"Like what?"

The mayor sucked in a quick, deep breath before bravely replying, "Like you."

There was a long silence between them as they both let the implications of their words soak in.  _Is she serious?_ Emma needed to know.  _She can't be…_ But the tone in the woman's voice said otherwise. Her voice was not quite confident, but it was firm, and the blonde shivered as she replayed the two words over and over again in her mind.

Regina interrupted her by asking, "Emma? Are you there?"

"I… I'm here."

"Say something…"

"I'm falling for your wife too…"

"Good. We'll see you at our place in twenty minutes."

"Wait, but I-"

"Bye, Em."

By the time the brunette hung up the phone, she was wearing a satisfied smile. When she reappeared in the living room, finding her wife soundly asleep on the couch, she knelt down beside the sleeping woman and touched her shoulder.

"I told her to be here in twenty. Do you want to shower?"

Sleepily, Ruby nodded her head and sat up, then was pulled off the couch by her lover, who led her up the stairs into the bathroom. As soon as the hot water began to pour over them, Ruby gently pressed her wife against the wall of the shower with her body and slid her hands over the woman's breasts.

"I'm nervous," Regina confessed, as her head fell back and her eyes closed.

The brunette twisted her nipples as she replied, "Don't be. If she shows up, she wants this. If she doesn't, we never bring it up again."

"But what if- Nnng… Fuck, Ruby…"

Before replying, the deputy slipped a hand between her lover's legs and stimulated her most sensitive area, eliciting a moan from the other brunette.

"She'll show. And I want to be the one to get you started."

"Ruby," Regina sighed as the woman increased the pressure on her clit. "That feels so good."

After a few more skilled movements with her fingers, Ruby pulled her hand away and laughed, kissing her wife's cheek before grabbing the bottle of body wash.

"What the hell, Ruby!" the dark-eyed beauty whined, opening her eyes. "Don't stop!"

"Get clean. She'll be here any minute."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I just know."

Sure enough, moments after they'd dried off from the shower, there was a soft knock at the door. Ruby answered it with a confident smile.

"Hey, Sheriff."

"Ruby, stop it!" Emma laughed. " I swear to God, I'll write you up."

"Do it. I'm not scared of a little punishment," the brunette said with a wink, grabbing the woman's hand and pulling her inside.

Regina shut the door quickly and stood awkwardly to the side as she watched the two interact. Her mind quickly drifted back to the night at the Rabbit Hole where she'd seen them dancing together, and she felt her face grow warm from arousal. She'd never imagined herself being turned on by her wife being with someone else, but with Emma… it was different.

"Gina?" the blonde asked softly, touching the woman's shoulder. "You okay?"

"I… I'm fine."

There was a pause where both other women watched for her expression before Ruby stepped closer and pressed her lips to Regina's cheek.

"It's okay, baby." Then, she turned to Emma, saying, "Come on in, Emma. Let's go sit on the couch."

Rather than sit down beside her wife, Ruby sat on the right side of the couch, then tugged Emma down so that she was sitting in the middle. Regina, losing her confidence, sat down slowly beside the blonde, watching the two women apprehensively.

"Why are you suddenly so nervous?" Emma asked softly. "You sounded pretty serious about this on the phone. Are you having second thoughts?"

"No," the mayor answered quickly. "I'm just… It's been so long since I've seen you like this…"

The sheriff reached up and carefully cupped the brunette's face in her hands as she stared deeply into brown eyes, before saying, "I've missed you. I should have told you the moment I saw you, but I thought… I didn't think…"

"You were wrong."

With a casual air of confidence, Ruby turned and swung her legs up until they were draped over Emma's. The blonde turned to look at her, meeting her gaze as her hands dropped to her sides.

"I just shaved," the deputy said with a grin.

Understanding the invitation, Emma ran her palms over the woman's shins. Feeling the smoothness of her skin, her mouth began to water.

"Yeah, you did," Emma finally chuckled, a shy smile spreading over her lips.

"Feels good, right?"

"Mhmm…"

"Regina, feel," Ruby invited her wife, smiling brightly in her direction until the woman did as she was requested to, running her hands over her shins.

Emma hadn't removed her hands, though, so when Regina moved her hand up to the other brunette's knee, her fingers bumped into the blonde's and caused their hearts to skip a beat in unison. Emma quickly turned her head to face Regina, a blush rising to her cheeks, as seemed to be typical over the last few days. Brown eyes met hers before a matching shade of red appeared on olive cheeks.

"Would you two kiss already?" Ruby laughed, shoving Emma's shoulder until her face was close to Regina's.

The redness of their cheeks increased as they broke the intense gaze they'd been sharing, until the young deputy pressed, "Haven't you been apart long enough?" thinking that would be enough to bring the two together.

She was right.

When Regina looked away, Emma lifted her chin and asked, "May I kiss you?"

A nod of consent was all the sheriff needed to bring her lips to touch her former lover's, and the kiss lasted longer than either of them expected, given that they were both feeling shy and unsure of themselves. Regina was almost embarrassed enough to pull away, but the rush she felt as her lips tingled from the kiss was enough to hold her to Emma like a magnet. Slowly, Emma's tongue asked for entrance, and though Regina's heart fluttered, she granted the request and allowed her own tongue to move in time with her former lover's.

"Alright, guys. Jesus," the deputy chuckled, after watching them for a while. "You'd think you'd been apart for fifteen years."

Emma laughed nervously, but the mayor kept they eyes locked, only offering a small smile. When Emma didn't break the gaze either, she finally reached up and gently stroked the woman's cheek.

"I've missed you," the blonde repeated, then leaned in until their foreheads were pressed together.

"I think you were meant to find each other again," Ruby told them, placing an encouraging hand on Emma's back with a satisfied smile.

"I have to tell you, Gina… When I found out you were the mayor here… I just… I  _had_  to apply for the job. I had to see you again…"

"You weren't nervous?"

"I was terrified. I knew how you'd react, which I was exactly right about. But I just  _had_  to see you. No matter what that meant."

"I can't believe that all this time I thought…"

"If I'd known, I would've found you, the moment I realized what a horrible mistake I'd made."

"What ever happened to Killian?" Regina asked, suddenly pulling away and looking serious.

"It's over."

"Okay, but what happened?"

"It lasted two months before I realized what I'd lost in you. I… I made more mistakes than one, Regina."

"What does that mean?"

"I slept with him. I thought… I thought that was how it was supposed to be. I thought…" Ruby squeezed her shoulder before the woman continued, saying, "In any case, I realized too late that sex doesn't mean love, and that I shouldn't have pushed you. And I definitely shouldn't have left you. I shouldn't have let you go…"

"I was so broken for so long, after you left me. For years, I hated myself and thought I was damaged and defective. I thought that my unwillingness to have sex meant that something was wrong with me."

"Oh, honey," Emma sighed sadly, kissing the brunette's forehead. "I am so,  _so_ sorry. I can't believe I did that to you."

"When I found Ruby, and she treated me with respect and love, regardless of what I said or didn't say, or what I did or didn't do in bed, things changed. I still don't really love myself, but I don't hate myself either. She validated me in ways I'd never been validated before."

Ruby watched the two, her smile growing at her wife's flattering words. All she'd ever wanted was to make Regina happy, and from the sound of it, she'd managed to do that, to the best of her ability. She'd realized recently that something had been missing, but Emma's presence seemed to fill that empty space – in both of them.

"And you forgot about me," Emma said.

"No," Regina countered sternly. "I could never. I tried to heal from what happened, and I moved on, but I never  _forgot_ you. That would be impossible."

"Not a day has gone by, in all these years, that I haven't thought of you."

"Oh, Emma… I wish I'd known…"

"I'm so sorry, Gina. For everything I did to you. For everything I put you through."

"You know what I'm realizing?" the mayor asked, continuing to look deeply into the sheriff's green eyes. "As of this moment?"

"That I'm a horrible person?"

"No. That you were seventeen years old, and you didn't know how to love me either."

"But I-"

"You were seventeen. You thought sex meant love, and you couldn't understand that I was too broken to show you that I did love you. You didn't realize that I loved you, but that it would just take me time to adjust."

"I hate that I lost you," the sheriff confessed. "I hate that I was so fucking young and stupid."

"You weren't stupid. You were just young. And so was I."

"You were both idiots to leave each other," Ruby chuckled. "I think that's obvious now."

"But you found love, Regina," Emma told her. "You found love with Ruby, and I couldn't be happier for you. Not to mention… had you two not gotten married… I never would've met her…"

Regina smiled and gave her wife's knee a gentle squeeze, saying, "She's perfect, isn't she?"

Emma nodded, then leaned over until her lips were hovering near the other brunette's.

"May I?" she asked, then waited for both to respond.

Regina's answer came in the form of a gentle push forward, bringing the two even closer together, and Ruby nodded her head to give her consent. As she watched their lips connect, butterflies filled the mayor's stomach. There was something so erotic about the way their mouths moved together. The kiss ended all too soon as Emma started to pull away.

The dark-eyed woman reacted quickly by carefully pushing on Emma's back to keep the two close, then said softly, "Come on, Em. Really kiss her."

So Emma gently pushed her tongue past the woman's lips, and Ruby received the gesture eagerly as she reciprocated. Regina watched, mouth watering, as the only two women she'd ever loved shared the deep, intimate touch. Soon, the pit of her stomach began to twist, and the space between her thighs grew warm. It was only when Emma pulled away again that the mayor realized she'd been holding her breath.

"How was that?" Emma asked shyly, looking back and forth between the two brunettes. "Was that alright?"

Ruby, of course, smiled and nodded her head as she stroked the sheriff's arm.

"That was perfect, darling."

Regina nodded her head in agreement, wearing a small, satisfied smile, then told them, "You're so sexy together."

"Yeah?" Ruby taunted, sticking her tongue out in her wife's direction.

"Put that back in your mouth before I bite it off," Regina teased with a grin.

Emma laughed at this and kissed them both on the cheek, saying, "You guys are too much."

"You should see us in bed," the deputy offered, wearing a satisfied smirk.

Smoothly, Emma replied, "I'd love to," and glanced at both of them as a wave of desire flashed in her eyes.

Regina picked up on it immediately and suddenly began to feel shy. She'd never been watched in bed before, and she'd only ever had one person judge her performance in bed. Though Ruby seemed satisfied with it, what if Emma wasn't? What if-

"Gina?" Emma asked cautiously, touching the woman's cheek. "You okay?"

"I… I'm fine…"

"She's not fine," the other brunette said quickly, sitting up straight and leaning across Emma's lap to kiss the woman on the forehead. "What's wrong, baby?" When Regina said nothing, the explanation of her insecurities sticking on her tongue, Ruby added, "You can say it, honey. It's just us. Just your Em and Ruby."

 _ **Your**_ _Em and Ruby,_ the mayor repeated in her mind.  _ **Your**_ _Em and Ruby._ She blushed at the thought of this as she reveled in the idea of belonging to both of them. But she was ready and willing to share her heart. She just wasn't sure if she was ready to share her bed.

"I… I don't…" she tried.

When she was unable to continue, Emma took her hands and looked into her eyes, telling her, "You don't have to say it if you don't want to, but please know that you can when you're ready. We're not going to judge you. We love you, and anything you have to say is safe between us."

Regina let out a soft, involuntary sigh of relief as she gave Emma's hands a gentle squeeze.

Finally, she managed, "I'm scared. What if I'm not good enough? What if I'm horrible in bed, and you realize that-"

"I love you," the sheriff blurted out. "I want  _you._ I don't care when or if we sleep together."

"What? Really?"

"Really. I'm so over sex, Regina. I'm done thinking that that's what relationships are built on."

"You're not gonna lose me."

"You just need to know that I'm not going to let sex make or break my relationship with you two."

The mayor's lips parted as she stared at the beautiful blonde. After waiting so long to hear those words from her, Regina felt her world stop. Ruby had been the only one to ever express that sentiment, but it meant everything to hear it coming from the woman she'd lost over it.

"I'm so sorry for what I did to you," Emma said, repeating her words from earlier that night. "I'm just so glad I found you both."

"You're what we've been missing, Emma," Ruby told her with a smile, wrapping her arm around the woman's strong shoulders. "As happy as we've been together, I think we needed you to make us complete."

"I'm surprised you're both willing to share such a treasure," the sheriff told them. "I'm especially surprised at you, Gina. I never would have imagined you in a polyamorous relationship."

"Me either, honestly. I wouldn't agree to one with anyone else but you."

"Why me?"

"Because you're my first love, Emma, and my wife obviously adores you too."

"How do you know?"

When Regina answered, "I knew the moment you whispered something to her when she was in the hospital. The smile on her face was unmistakable," Ruby smiled broadly at them both.

"What do you think, Rubes?" Emma asked. "Is that true?"

"I'm sure that's when my wife first realized it, but that's not when I did."

"When did you know, then?" Regina questioned.

"When she came after me when I went for the bear. The way she grabbed me as I fell, when Leroy shot me. I knew she was special, and that I wouldn't be able to let her go."

The sheriff and her deputy shared a smile before sharing a kiss, then both looked back to the mayor.

"What do you think, babe?" Ruby asked her wife with a grin as she pinched one of Emma's cheeks. "Think we should take her to bed?"

Regina blushed, her eyes darting to the other side of the room, but quickly mustered the strength to nod her head.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked quickly, searching the brunette's eyes for the honest answer. "If you aren't ready, it's-"

The mayor cut her off, telling her simply, "I want you."

"It can wait, Gina. It doesn't have to be now."

"Whenever you're ready, babe," the deputy cut in, also looking into Regina's dark eyes. "I was really just teasing."

"No, I…" the mayor started. "I want… I want to."

After kissing the blonde's cheek, Ruby asked the woman, "What about you, Em? You wanna listen to our lover's sexy porno moans while we make her sweat until she comes?"

Regina's mouth fell open as soon as she heard the words, and her face instantly turned a deep shade of red.

"Oh, come on, babe," the green-eyed beauty laughed. "Don't be shy. It's sexy."

"I d-don't… I don't do porno moans…"

"You wicked do, when it's good."

"It's always good, Ruby."

"You don't always seem super into it…"

"Babe…"

"It's okay. I think tonight, we're gonna fix that. What do you think, Em?"

Joining Regina in her blush once again, Emma said, "You know… now that I'm really thinking about it… I think maybe it might be best for us to wait a while before we take that step. As tempting as those porno moans sound."

Regina displayed a look of shock, hearing these words, and stared at Emma in disbelief.

"Really?" she finally asked.

"Really."

Ruby smiled at them and conceded, saying, "You know what, Emma? I think you're right."

As they shut their eyes for sleep and tangled themselves together in the bed upstairs, they knew they'd made the right decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, guys. That's it! Ending was kinda lame, I know, but I hope you enjoyed the ride. :)


	4. Ready

The relationship between Regina and her lovers could best be described as cautious. A few weeks after they'd collectively decided to become lovers, Regina found herself alone with the sheriff.

"Emma? Do you think Ruby's okay?"

"What do you mean?" Emma replied. "Do you think she's not?"

"Well… I don't know. She's been quiet. Things were okay for a while, but now… Now, she's acting reserved again. Like she was before."

"You think so?"

"You haven't noticed?"

Emma's eyes went wide as she answered, "You don't have to say it like that. It's not that I haven't noticed. I guess I just didn't interpret her behavior the same way."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know. I guess it just seems to me like she's trying to adjust. It doesn't feel like a bad thing, like it did before. She doesn't seem sad to me. She just seems… cautious."

"Do you think she's really okay with this? I mean… I know she says she is, but what if-"

"Ruby would tell you if she was uncomfortable. Don't you think?"

"I don't know. I'm-"

"What's going on?" Ruby interrupted, appearing rather inconveniently in the doorway to the kitchen where the other two women were talking.

"Ruby! Jesus," Regina gasped. "Don't scare me like that."

"Seriously… What is going on? Because you look like I just caught you stealing a cookie from the cookie jar."

"I didn't know we weren't allowed to have cookies!" Emma cried with a laugh. "My bad."

"It's not funny. Why do you both look so guilty?"

With a sobered sigh, Emma and Regina shared a glance.

"Ruby…" Regina tried, but found herself trailing off and unable to continue the thought.

"What is it? Did something happen?"

"No. No, it's nothing like that."

"Then what the hell is it! You guys are freaking me out!" When Regina said nothing, Ruby turned to Emma and said, "Em?"

"Regina… I mean… we… are worried about you."

"Huh?"

"You've been a little quiet is all. We're just concerned that maybe something's wrong, or that you're upset or uncomfortable. Or something. I don't know. We're just concerned."

Regina felt a wave of relief wash over her as Emma took charge, sharing the truth on her behalf. The fact that she'd used the word 'we' made Regina feel much less embarrassed and put on the spot. In that moment, she was grateful for Emma's courage and bluntness.

"I'm fine, you guys," Ruby told them, looking confused. "I just… I don't know. I'm just trying not to mess this up or upset either of you."

"Upset us?" Regina asked.

"I've never been in a relationship with two women before. This whole thing is so new. And I just want you both to feel loved and appreciated, and I'm finding it hard to maintain a balance. At least, I'm not confident that I'm doing it successfully. I don't want either of you to feel… left out." When Ruby's lovers were silent as they soaked in her words, she added, "Do either of you feel that way? That I'm playing favorites?"

In unison, they blurted, "No!"

"Absolutely not," Regina added. "You've been nothing but sweet and caring to both of us. You've always been the peace-maker between us."

"That's not true. I was the source of a lot of conflict between you and I, Regina. I was an asshole."

"Ruby, you were upset because you felt like I was trying to control you. And honestly, I was. What happened when you got shot was just too much for me to handle. It was…"

"Babe?" Ruby asked softly, touching Regina's forearm.

"Guys, listen… I'm really sorry," Emma cut in. "I never meant to let you get hurt, Ruby. The more I think about it, the more I realize how right Regina was and how it really was my responsibility to keep you safe."

"This is silly," Regina sighed. "I love you both. I'm not upset with you anymore, Emma. I think we all need to just take some deep breaths and relax a little. Clearly, we're all worried about this relationship. We're all in the same boat, and we're in it together."

Ruby sighed too and rubbed her temples, saying, "This is harder than I thought it would be."

"Is that… Is that bad?" Regina asked anxiously, looking apprehensive.

"No. No, it's just… I'm scared to let you guys down, you know? I want to be perfect for you both, and it seems impossible."

"Oh, honey," Emma said. "You're not going to let us down. Just be yourself. We love you."

"Are you sure this is okay? I mean, sometimes I feel like… like maybe you two should just… you know…"

"No. What?"

"Be… together."

"We are together, Ruby."

"Like… alone."

"Why are you saying that?" Regina asked, sounding shocked.

"Because you two were together first, and sometimes I just feel like I'm taking that away from you. Like I'm taking away the relationship you could have had."

"We have a better relationship than the one we could have had, Ruby," the older brunette told her lover. "What we had then was… volatile and… I don't know how to explain it."

"We were young," Emma explained. "We didn't know how to love each other the way we do now."

"But that's why you two deserve a second chance."

"This  _is_ our second chance. What we have with you."

"I… I love you two," Ruby told them softly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dumped this on you."

"I should have told you myself that I was worried about you," Regina said. "I'm sorry too."

"Alright," Emma finally chuckled, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders. "Now that that's settled… Ice cream?"

"Do you ever think of anything but food?" Regina laughed, kissing the blonde's cheek.

Ruby chimed in with, "Nope," and kissed the woman's cheek as well, wearing a broad smile.

* * *

 

"There. That's better, right?" Emma asked, looking between her lovers. "Ice cream helps everything."

"Ice cream does not help  _everything,_ " the mayor countered, her gaze stern and serious.

"Sure it does," Ruby retorted with a grin. "At least, I'm certainly feeling better."

Expression softening, Regina told them, "Me too."

* * *

 

The following evening, Ruby was determined to show her lovers that she truly was happy with them, and that there was nothing she would change about their relationship. As creative as she wanted to be, she settled for a more standard romantic gesture. After purposefully cutting her shift at the station short, blaming a stomachache, she went home and began her transformation of the house.

The first step was to place candles in parlor, on the table in the hallway, and in the bedroom. The next was to meticulously leave a trail of red rose petals from the front door to the bed, spreading a few extra handfuls over the comforter. She'd orchestrated it perfectly, knowing her lovers planned to arrive home at the same time, and she finished just in time to hear two cars pull into the driveway, one right after another.

Ruby made her way down the stairs slowly, holding two bouquets of white roses and taking deep breaths to calm her nerves, then opened the front door when she heard two sets of footsteps approaching.

"Hey, guys," the deputy said softly, holding out a bouquet of flowers to both women.

Suddenly, she wasn't so confident in her approach. What if they thought it was stupid? What if she overdid it? What if-

"Oh, sweetie, you didn't have to-" Regina started, taking the flowers but letting her words trail off as she noticed the trail of red rose petals behind Ruby on the floor.

"Wow, Ruby. What's the occasion?" Emma asked with a gentle smile.

"Do I need an occasion to treat my ladies like the royalty they are?" the deputy countered, smiling back at them as her cheeks reddened.

She tried hard to hold onto whatever shred of confidence she had left, and it became easier as she watched Regina's eyes go wide upon walking through the doorway and taking in the sight of all the candles illuminating the parlor.

"Babe…" Regina breathed. "Why did you-"

"I just wanted to show you both how much I love you, and I wanted to do something special for you. Why don't you come upstairs? You must be tired…"

Raising an eyebrow, the two followed Ruby up the staircase and into the bedroom.

"Holy shit, Rubes," Emma said. "You really outdid yourself."

"Nah," Ruby chuckled. "It was nothing."

"It's not nothing," Regina retorted, putting her hand on her wife's shoulder. "This is amazing."

Not knowing what to say in response, Ruby went quiet, and silence fell over the room. Quickly, it became awkward, and all three of them began to fidget nervously as they looked at the bed.

"What's… What's the matter?" Ruby finally asked, when neither made a move to sit down or speak.

"Just… Just thinking," Emma replied.

"What are you thinking, Em?" the younger brunette asked. "Talk to us." Suddenly, Emma looked anxious, and it was unnerving for Ruby, so she pressed. "Babe? Did I… Is this… Is this… bad?"

"No! No, honey, it's not bad. I'm just… surprised. And… you both… look…"

"Huh?" Regina cut in, looking confused. "We look what?"

"Gorgeous."

"Don't be such a flirt," Ruby teased. "You'll make me blush."

This brought a relaxed smile to Emma's face as she allowed herself to enjoy the company of her lovers.

"I like when you blush."

"I do too," Regina joined in. "You're especially beautiful when you blush."

"Aw, c'mon, guys. Stop!" Ruby laughed. "I'm not-"

"Yes, you definitely are," Emma told the deputy, turning to face her as she reached up and touched one of her blushing cheeks.

Regina was next to provide reassurance as she kissed her wife on the other cheek, letting her lips linger there a little longer than was likely necessary.

"Your cheeks are warm," the older brunette commented. "Are you actually embarrassed?"

Ruby shrugged her shoulders, pulled away just slightly, and replied, "Maybe a little. You're both just paying so much attention to me."

Letting out a nervous chuckle, the deputy stepped forward and sat down on the bed.

"What do you think, babe?" Emma asked Regina. "What should we do with this kind, considerate, thoughtful little princess?"

"I think we should kiss her."

Grinning as a sign of agreement, Emma sat down on one side of Ruby as Regina sat down on the other. Emma was the first to lean in, pressing her lips close to Ruby's, but not allowing them to touch. Regina did the same. Slowly, they took turns kissing different places – her cheek, her nose, her jaw, her temple – until Emma looked to Regina for permission to move on to her lips.

Regina nodded, silently telling Emma that she hadn't really needed to hesitate, then encouraged her, "Kiss her, Em."

For some reason, regardless of the number of times she'd already been kissed by them both, Ruby became nervous again and swallowed hard to shut down the twinge of butterflies that filled her stomach. She did this just in time for Emma to lean in, locking their lips as she threaded her fingers carefully through Ruby's dark hair. The kiss deepened until the deputy let out a soft whimper she hadn't meant to let escape, telling Emma that she was doing far more than just making her feel good.

When she pulled away and noticed that Ruby looked embarrassed, Emma said, "It's okay, honey. It's supposed to feel good. I want to make you make those noises."

"I do too." Regina told her. "My turn."

With that, the mayor pressed their lips together in a slow, burning kiss. Something in it was different, though. Something about the kiss was…  _more._ More than it had been any other time.

Since the three had decided to become lovers, Regina hadn't made love to her wife. They'd decided, without really discussing it, that the next time it happened, it would be with Emma. And so they waited. Perhaps that was why Ruby felt such an intense fire when Regina started to kiss her harder.

Emma let them kiss like this for a while – longer than she'd spent kissing Ruby herself – then finally said softly, "Regina."

When the two broke apart and the mayor looked up at her, Emma leaned in and kissed her.

"I love you," she muttered against Regina's lips.

At first, she thought that Regina might not answer her – maybe the moment was too intense? – but after another kiss, Regina replied, "I love you too. Kiss me harder."

Wide-eyed and surprised at her forwardness, Emma did as she was requested and let their lips burn together, until Regina had to break away to quietly gasp for air.

"I love watching you two," Ruby told them softly. "You're both so beautiful."

They both smiled as they connected their lips once again, this time allowing the kiss to progress more slowly than before.

"Okay, wait," Emma finally gasped. "I'm sorry. I… I need to stop."

Looking concerned and confused, Regina asked, "But why?"

"Because if we keep going, I'm not going to be able to."

Ruby bit her lip and looked at her wife. She guessed, based on the expression she was wearing, that Regina was conflicted, which made Ruby apprehensive as well.

When she saw Regina's expression shift to a subtle look of distress as the woman glanced at Emma's lips, Ruby reached over and touched her hand, saying, "It's okay, babe. You two can-"

"No," Regina countered quickly. "Not unless you-"

"Regina. You love her. It's okay."

"Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa," Emma cut in. "Both of you, stop it. If you're not ready, you're not ready, and that's that. And it's fine. I'm not pressuring you guys. I'm saying we need to stop before I lose control."

Again, Regina and Ruby shared a glance before Ruby said, "Maybe you should. Regina?"

"I…" the woman started, her cheeks growing warm.

It was obvious that she was unsure of herself, so Ruby added, "It's okay, babe."

"Not without you."

Biting her lip, Ruby shifted her gaze and caught Emma's eyes.

"Not without you," Emma echoed.

"Guys. I think-"

The blonde quickly stopped her, saying, "No way."

"But you-"

"Stop."

"But you guys should-"

"Enough, Ruby," Regina said sternly. "If you're not ready, that's okay, but it's not happening without you."

There was a moment of silence before Emma put her hand on Ruby's thigh and said, "Tell us what you want."

"And be honest," Regina added quickly, knowing that Ruby's instinct was to brush the question off and put it back on them to decide.

"I… I just… I just want you two to be happy."

"That's a bullshit answer," Emma challenged her, her voice firm but not angry.

"It's not bullshit! I do want you both to be happy!"

"No. I mean, it's bullshit that you felt that was a sufficient answer to the question."

"Emma, come on. This isn't about me. It's about-"

"Ruby, please," Regina sighed. "Can't you just tell us what  _you_ want?"

"It shouldn't be on me to decide."

"You're right. So we'll decide together. But you have to tell us what you want before we can make that decision."

The younger brunette shook her head and looked away, but Emma turned her cheek and caught her gaze, saying, "Ruby Lucas. What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not… I…"

"You don't trust us…" Regina said, her voice small and strained as a lump formed in her throat.

"That's not true!" Ruby cried. "Babe, please don't say that. I'm just scared of… of pushing you guys. Of… Of messing this up."

"Telling us what you want isn't pushing us," Emma told her. "It's sharing your feelings. And I know how hard that is for you, but you need to try, because if you really do trust us, you need to trust that we can make this choice together without pressure or conflict. We care about how you feel. Regardless of what you say, we're going to be right here, and we're going to love you no matter what."

"Alright. Alright. I… Honestly… I want to take the next step with you both. I want us to be closer. I want… I want to share that different kind of intimacy with you. I just… I don't want either of you to feel rushed or pushed into it if you're not ready. That's why I was so scared to say anything. I didn't want to fuck it up, and now I'm scared that you'll feel like I'm pressuring you or-"

"I don't feel that way," Emma assured her, sliding her hand down her thigh and stopping just above her knee.

"Neither do I," Regina asserted.

"Alright. Then how do you feel?"

"I think I'm ready, Rubes. And I want that closeness too."

"Em?"

The blonde nodded, answering, "I'm ready to give that to you. Both of you. I mean… if you two are. Rubes… You said you want to… but are you ready? I just… I want you to be sure."

"I'm… I'm sure," Ruby replied, her hands starting to shake as her muscles tensed. "I'm ready. I want this."

That was Emma's cue to lean in and press their lips together as she slid her hand up the woman's inner thigh. With a gentle touch, Regina slid her fingertips through Ruby's smooth locks of hair. After the blonde had spent a few moments deepening the kiss, Regina carefully pulled Ruby's head back to break it, then turned her chin and caught her lips, taking her turn to savor the sweet taste of Ruby that she treasured so much.

When their kiss finally broke, Regina whispered, "You always set me on fire, you know."

Of course, this earned a blush from Ruby, who felt herself growing even warmer as Regina's hand matched Emma's as she slid it up the inside of her other thigh.

The older brunette said Emma's name softly, encouraging the woman to make the next move, which she did slowly and with great care. When her fingertips brushed over the fabric covering Ruby's entrance, the deputy gasped quietly as her eyes fell shut.

"Emma," she breathed.

The blonde slid her fingers over the fabric a few more times before Regina gently nudged her hand out of the way to take her place.

Ruby felt the change and whimpered, "Gina. Babe…"

"Does that feel good, baby?" she asked, smiling at the sound of Ruby's voice straining.

Ruby nodded and leaned back, using her hands to keep her halfway upright.

The blonde's eyes slowly raked over the deputy's body before she lifted her gaze to meet her lover's. Regina's smile widened as she nodded her head to encourage Emma to make another move. Emma moved her hands beneath Ruby's shirt and gripped the hem of it, then carefully slid the garment up until she'd revealed the black lace bra beneath it. The deputy felt the sensation of severe heart palpitations as she lifted her arms and the shirt was pulled up and over her head, then tossed to the side.

During this process, Regina had unbuttoned her own blouse and removed it, revealing her own undergarment. When Emma glanced over at her, she felt her mouth water.

As soon as Regina noticed her looking, she urged her, "Keep going."

"Wait," Emma protested. "I want to be the one to undress you."

Offering a coy smile, the mayor nodded her head.

Turning back to Ruby, Emma slid her hands down the woman's stomach until they reached the button of her pants.

"You ready?" she asked sweetly, then waited for her response before continuing.

Only when Ruby nodded did Emma proceed to unbutton and unzip her slacks and slide them all the way down past her ankles before tossing those to the side as well.

Facing Regina again, Emma said, "Lie back."

Regina did as she was told, then allowed Emma to do the same for her as Ruby leaned back against the pillows as well. The soft sensation of rose petals against her skin made the women shiver.

Once they were both left only in their undergarments, Ruby instructed, "You next," and smiled at her lover, who was still completely dressed.

As seductively as possible – Emma wasn't very confident about her body, so this was difficult for her – the sheriff slid her slacks off, then unbuttoned and discarded her shirt.

"You're gorgeous," Ruby told her, sensing that Emma was feeling self-conscious by the look of uncertainty on her face.

"I'm really not."

"You're also totally ripped."

"Oh, my God," Emma laughed. "Stop it."

"Come here," Ruby said. When the sheriff hesitated but stepped closer to the bed, Ruby gripped her left bicep and ordered, "Flex."

"No. You're being-"

"Just flex." When Emma sighed but followed the command anyway, Ruby grinned and added, "Other arm." Again, Emma did as she was told, so Ruby looked at Regina and said, "Feel it."

Regina leaned forward and gripped Emma's other bicep, then smiled brightly.

"Like iron, right?" the younger brunette asked, looking triumphant.

"Absolutely."

"Both of you, stop it," Emma chuckled, pulling away and pushing them both back onto the bed.

"You're perfect. Chiseled like a god," Ruby told her. "Now, come here."

Again, the sheriff hesitated but eventually crawled onto the bed, kneeling between her lovers. Ruby wasted no time before gently pulling her down and kissing her lips. Regina reached out and stroked Emma's bare side, then slid her hand behind the woman's back. When she saw Emma lean into the kiss and deepen it as Ruby threaded her fingers through her hair, Regina found the courage to carefully unclasp the blonde's bra. Emma shivered but slid the undergarment down her arms and tossed it to the side, revealing her breasts. Her lovers both froze and stared at her.

"W-What?" Emma stuttered, feeling a sudden wave of heat and embarrassment crash over her.

"You are so gorgeous," Regina breathed in response.

"So gorgeous," Ruby echoed.

This time, Emma was too surprised to protest. That certainly hadn't been the reaction she was expecting. The blonde watched as Ruby licked her lips and smirked up at her, silently urging her to keep going. Emma kissed her slowly, then pulled away. After carefully removing her bra, Emma's eyes moved down to Ruby's waist, and eventually, she tucked the tips of her fingers into the front of the waistband of the brunette's panties. It took her a moment before she found herself able to move again, but when she did, her movement was fluid and graceful as she pulled Ruby's panties down and off. She took a minute or so to stare as her mouth began to water again, and the longer Emma stared at her, the more nervous Ruby became as she wondered what her lover was thinking.

Emma swallowed hard before leaning down to kiss her navel and whispering, "I love you."

Ruby whispered it back. When Emma did the same to Regina, letting her lips linger over the mayor's skin, her lover stared to shake.


End file.
